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*11:22 or, seed 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 Sallige nüüd pisut minu rumalust! Kuid te ju sallitegi! 2 Ma hoian teist kinni jumaliku kiivusega, sest ma olen kihlanud teid üheleainsale mehele, Kristusele, et teid anda talle puhta neitsina. 3 Aga ma kardan, et nii nagu madu pettis Eevat oma kurikavaluses, eksitatakse teiegi mõtted eemale siirast ja puhtast pühendumisest Kristusele. 4 Sest kui keegi tuleb teie juurde ja kuulutab teist Jeesust, keda meie ei ole kuulutanud, või kui te võtate vastu vaimu, kes on erinev sellest Vaimust, kelle te vastu võtsite, või evangeeliumi, mis erineb sellest, mille te vastu võtsite, siis seda te sallite suurepäraselt!

5 Ma ei arva, et mina neist „vägevatest apostlitest" millegi poolest halvem oleksin. 6 Ma võin küll olla koolitamata kõneleja, aga mul on teadmised, mis me oleme teile alati ja igal viisil teatavaks teinud. 7 Kas ma olen teinud pattu, kui ma ennast alandasin, et teid ülendada, ja kuulutasin teile Jumala evangeeliumi ilma tasuta? 8 Ma riisusin teisi kogudusi, võttes vastu toetust nende käest, et teid teenida. 9 Kui mul teie juures midagi vaja oli, ei koormanud ma kedagi, sest mis mul vaja oli, andsid mulle vennad, kes tulid Makedooniast. Ma olen hoidunud elamast teie kulul ja tahan järgida seda põhimõtet ka edaspidi. 10 Nii tõesti kui Kristuse tõde on minus, ei saa keegi lõpetada mu kiitlemist sellest kogu Ahhaias. 11 Miks? Kas ma ei armasta teid? Jumal teab, et armastan!

12 Kuid nii nagu praegu, toimin ma ka edaspidi, et mitte anda võimalust neile, kes tahavad näidata end meiega võrdsena selles, millega nad kiitlevad. 13 Need inimesed on valeapostlid, võltsid töötegijad, kes moondavad ennast Kristuse apostliteks. 14 Ja pole ka ime, sest saatan ise moondab end valguseingliks. 15 Seepärast ei ole midagi erilist, kui tema teenrid ennast moondavad õiguse teenriteks. Nad lõpetavad seal, kuhu nende teod neid viivad.

16 Ma kordan: ärgu keegi pidagu mind rumalaks. Kui aga siiski, siis võtke mind vastu rumalana, et minagi võiksin pisut kiidelda. 17 Nõnda enesekindlalt kiideldes ei räägi ma nagu Issand räägiks, vaid nagu rumal. 18 Aga et paljud kiitlevad inimlikult, siis kiitlen minagi. 19 Te sallite ju meeleldi rumalust, kes te ise olete arukad! 20 Te sallite rõõmuga igaüht, kes teid orjastab, kurnab, ära kasutab, alandab ja näkku lööb.

21 Pean häbiga tunnistama, et meie oleme olnud liiga nõdrad. Aga sellega, millega teised julgevad kiidelda, ütlen seda nüüd otsekui rumal, sellega julgen kiidelda minagi. 22 Nemad on heebrealased? Mina ka. Nemad on iisraellased? Mina ka. Nemad on Aabrahami järglased? Mina ka. 23 Nemad on Kristuse teenrid? Ma räägin pööraselt – mina olen võrreldamatult rohkem. Ma olen rohkem vaeva näinud, rohkem vangis olnud, palju rohkem piitsa saanud, ikka ja jälle surmaga silmitsi seisnud. 24 Juutide käest olen viiel korral saanud ühe piitsahoobi vähem kui nelikümmend. 25 Kolm korda on mind pekstud keppidega, üks kord loobitud kividega. Kolm korda olen teinud läbi laevahuku, terve ööpäeva triivinud avamerel. 26 Ma olen sageli olnud teel: ohus jõgedel, ohus teeröövlite käes, ohus oma rahva hulgas, ohus võõraste seas, ohus linnades, ohus maal, ohus merel, ohus valevendade keskel. 27 Olen teinud ränka tööd, olnud sageli magamata, olen tundnud nälga ja janu, olnud tihti söömata, külmas ja alasti. 28 Lisaks kõigele muule olen ma igapäevase koorma all, mures kõigi koguduste pärast. 29 Kas keegi on nõrk, ja mina ei tunneks nõrkust? Kas keegi annab patule järele, ja mina ei oleks nördinud?

30 Kui just peab kiitlema, siis ma kiitlen sellega, mis näitab minu nõtrust. 31 Jumal, Issanda Jeesuse Kristuse Isa, olgu kiidetud igavesti, tema teab, et ma ei valeta. 32 Damaskuses valvas kuningas Aretase ametnik linna, et mind vahistada, 33 aga mind lasti korviga läbi müüriakna alla ja ma pääsesin tema käest.