1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since *[Hos. 2:19,20] I betrothed you to one husband, *Col. 1:22,28to present you *Eph. 5:27;Rev. 14:4as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that *Gen. 3:4;1 Tim. 2:14;[John 8:44;1 Thess. 3:5] as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts *Col. 2:4,8will be led astray from a *[Eph. 6:5] sincere and *ch. 6:6pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and *[1 Cor. 3:11] proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept *Gal. 1:6a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that *ch. 12:11;Gal. 2:6I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 *See 1 Cor. 1:17Even if I am unskilled in speaking, *[Eph. 3:4] I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way *ch. 4:2;5:11;12:12we have made this plain to you in all things.

7 Or *[ch. 12:13] did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because *See Acts 18:3I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was *Phil. 4:12in need, *ch. 12:13,14I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia *[1 Cor. 16:17;Phil. 4:15,16] supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain *ch. 12:16;1 Thess. 2:6from burdening you in any way. 10 *See Rom. 1:9;9:1As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine *1 Cor. 9:15will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? *See ch. 6:11Because I do not love you? *ver. 31;ch. 12:2,3God knows I do!

12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, *[1 Cor. 9:12]in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are *Rev. 2:2;[Gal. 1:7;2:4;6:12;Phil. 1:15;3:18;Titus 1:10,12;2 Pet. 2:1;1 John 4:1] false apostles, *[Phil. 3:2] deceitful workmen, *ver. 14, 15disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as *Gal. 1:8an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as *ch. 3:9servants of righteousness. *Phil. 3:19Their end will correspond to their deeds.

16 I repeat, *ch. 12:6let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying *ch. 9:4with this boastful confidence, *[1 Cor. 7:12]I say not as the Lord would*11:17 Greek not according to the Lord but as a fool. 18 Since *Phil. 3:3,4many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, *1 Cor. 4:10being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone *Gal. 2:4;[Gal. 4:3,9;5:1] makes slaves of you, or *[ch. 7:2] devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or *1 Cor. 4:11strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, *ch. 10:10we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? *Rom. 11:1;Phil. 3:5So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they *See ch. 3:6;10:7servants of Christ? *See 1 Cor. 15:10I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, *ch. 6:5far more imprisonments, *Acts 16:23with countless beatings, and *ch. 1:9,10;4:11;6:9;Rom. 8:36;1 Cor. 15:30-32often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the *Deut. 25:3forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was *Acts 16:22beaten with rods. *Acts 14:19Once I was stoned. Three times I *[Acts 27:41]was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, *Acts 9:23;13:50;14:5;17:5;1 Thess. 2:15;[Acts 18:12;20:3,19;21:27;23:10,12;25:3] danger from my own people, *Acts 14:5;[Acts 19:23;27:42] danger from Gentiles, *Acts 21:31danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 *1 Thess. 2:9;2 Thess. 3:8in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, *1 Cor. 4:11;Phil. 4:12in hunger and thirst, often without food,*11:27 Or often in fasting in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for *See 1 Cor. 7:17all the churches. 29 *See 1 Cor. 8:13;9:22Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 *ch. 10:10;12:5,9;See 1 Cor. 2:3If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 *See Rom. 15:6The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, *See Rom. 9:5he who is blessed forever, *ver. 11knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas *Acts 9:24was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 *Acts 9:25but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.