1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you in marriage to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit which you didn’t receive, or a different "good news" which you didn’t accept, you put up with that well enough. 5 For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles. 6 But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge? 8 I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you. 9 When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.

12 But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity, that in which they boast, they may be recognized just like us. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

16 I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little. 17 That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast. 19 For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise. 20 For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face. 21 To my shame, I speak as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often. 24 Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep. 26 I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers; 27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

28 Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie. 32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me. 33 I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.

1 Ag, as julle my net 'n bietjie in my dwaasheid wou verdra! Verdra my tog maar!

2 Want ek is jaloers oor julle met 'n goddelike jaloersheid, want ek het julle aan een man verbind, om julle as 'n reine maagd aan Christus voor te stel.

3 Maar ek vrees dat, net soos die slang Eva deur sy listigheid bedrieg het, julle sinne so miskien bedorwe kan raak, vervreemd van die opregtheid teenoor Christus.

4 Want as iemand kom en 'n ander Jesus verkondig as wat ons verkondig het, of as julle 'n ander gees ontvang as wat julle ontvang het, of 'n ander evangelie as wat julle aangeneem het, laat julle jul dit goed geval.

5 Want ek reken dat ek niks agterstaan by die uitnemende apostels nie.

6 En al is ek ook onbedrewe in woord, dan tog nie in kennis nie; maar ons het ten volle in alle opsigte openbaar geword by julle.

7 Of het ek sonde gedoen deur my te verneder sodat julle verhoog kan word, omdat ek die evangelie van God kosteloos aan julle verkondig het?

8 Ander gemeentes het ek beroof deur vergoeding te neem om julle te bedien; en toe ek by julle teenwoordig was en gebrek gehad het, het ek niemand lastig geval nie.

9 Want in my gebrek het die broeders voorsien wat van Macedonië gekom het. En ek het my in alles in ag geneem om julle nie te beswaar nie, en ek sal my in ag neem.

10 So seker as die waarheid van Christus in my is, sal hierdie roem in die streke van Ach je my nie ontneem word nie.

11 Waarom? Omdat ek julle nie liefhet nie? God weet dit.

12 Maar wat ek doen, sal ek nog doen om die aanleiding af te sny vir die wat 'n aanleiding wil hê, sodat hulle in die saak waar hulle op roem, net soos ons bevind mag word.

13 Want sulke mense is valse apostels, bedrieglike arbeiders wat hulleself verander in apostels van Christus.

14 En geen wonder nie! Want die Satan self verander hom in 'n engel van die lig.

15 Dit is dus niks besonders wanneer sy dienaars hulle ook voordoen as dienaars van geregtigheid nie. Maar hulle einde sal wees volgens hulle werke.

16 Weer sê ek dat niemand moet dink dat ek dwaas is nie; of anders, neem my maar aan as 'n dwaas, sodat ek ook 'n bietjie kan roem.

17 Wat ek spreek, sê ek nie vanweë die Here nie, maar as in dwaasheid, in hierdie vertroue dat ek mag roem.

18 Terwyl baie na die vlees roem, sal ek ook roem.

19 Want julle verdra graag die dwase, omdat julle so verstandig is!

20 Julle verdra dit mos as iemand knegte van julle maak, as iemand julle opeet, as iemand julle beetneem, as iemand hom aanstel, as iemand julle in die gesig slaan.

21 Tot my skande moet ek erken dat ons daarvoor te swak was; maar as iemand dit aandurf -- ek spreek in dwaasheid -- ek durf ook.

22 Is hulle Hebreërs? Ek ook. Is hulle Israeliete? Ek ook. Is hulle die nakomelinge van Abraham? Ek ook.

23 Is hulle dienaars van Christus? -- ek praat in uitsinnigheid -- ek nog meer: in arbeid oorvloediger, in slae bo die maat, in gevangenskappe baie meer, in doodsgevare dikwels.

24 Vyf maal het ek van die Jode ontvang veertig houe op een na.

25 Drie maal is ek met stokke geslaan, een maal is ek gestenig, drie maal het ek skipbreuk gely, 'n nag en 'n dag het ek op die diepwater deurgebring --

26 dikwels op reis, in gevare van riviere, in gevare van rowers, in gevare van my volk, in gevare van die heidene, in gevare in die stad, in gevare in die woestyn, in gevare op see, in gevare onder valse broeders;

27 in arbeid en moeite, in slapelose nagte dikwels, in honger en dors, dikwels sonder ete, in koue en naaktheid.

28 Behalwe dit alles my daaglikse bekommernis, die sorg vir al die gemeentes.

29 Wie is swak en ek is nie swak nie? Aan wie word 'n struikelblok in die weg gelê en ek is nie aan die brand nie?

30 As daar geroem moet word, sal ek in my swakhede roem.

31 Die God en Vader van onse Here Jesus Christus, geseënd tot in ewigheid, weet dat ek nie lieg nie.

32 In Damaskus het die goewerneur van koning Ar,tas die stad van die Damask,ners laat bewaak om my te vang;

33 en ek is in 'n mandjie deur 'n venster in die muur neergelaat en het aan sy hande ontkom.