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Paul and the False Apostles

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 ^(a)I betrothed you to one husband, ^(b)to present you ^(c)as a pure virgin to Christ. ³ But I am afraid that ^(d)as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts ^(e)will be led astray from a ^(f)sincere and ^(g)pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes and ^(h)proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept ⁽ⁱ⁾a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. ⁵ Indeed, I consider that ^(j)I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. ^6 (k)Even if I am unskilled in speaking, ^(l)I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way ^(m)we have made this plain to you in all things.

⁷ Or ⁽ⁿ⁾did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because ^(o)I 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 ^(p)in need, ^(q)I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia ^(r)supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain ^(s)from burdening you in any way. ^10 (t)As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine ^(u)will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ And why? ^(v)Because I do not love you? ^(w)God knows I do!

¹² And what I am doing I will continue to do, ^(x)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 ^(y)false apostles, ^(z)deceitful workmen, ^(aa)disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as ^(ab)an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as ^(ac)servants of righteousness. ^(ad)Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle

¹⁶ I repeat, ^(ae)let 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 ^(af)with this boastful confidence, ^(ag)I say not as the Lord would^[a] but as a fool. ¹⁸ Since ^(ah)many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. ¹⁹ For you gladly bear with fools, ^(ai)being wise yourselves! ²⁰ For you bear it if someone ^(aj)makes slaves of you, or ^(ak)devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or ^(al)strikes you in the face. ²¹ To my shame, I must say, ^(am)we 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? ^(an)So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Are they ^(ao)servants of Christ? ^(ap)I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, ^(aq)far more imprisonments, ^(ar)with countless beatings, and ^(as)often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the ^(at)forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(au)beaten with rods. ^(av)Once I was stoned. Three times I ^(aw)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, ^(ax)danger from my own people, ^(ay)danger from Gentiles, ^(az)danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ^27 (ba)in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, ^(bb)in hunger and thirst, often without food,^[b] in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for ^(bc)all the churches. ^29 (bd)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

^30 (be)If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ^31 (bf)The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^(bg)he who is blessed forever, ^(bh)knows that I am not lying. ³² At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas ^(bi)was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, ^33 (bj)but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.