English Standard Version

King James Bible

1I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!

1Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

2For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

2For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.

4For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

5Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.

5For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

6Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

6But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.

7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge?

7Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

8I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.

8I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.

9And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

9And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.

10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

10As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

11And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

11Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.

12And what I am doing I will continue to do, 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.

12But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

16I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

16I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.

17What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool.

17That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

18Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.

18Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.

19For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!

19For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.

20For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.

20For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.

21To my shame, I must say, 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.

21I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.

22Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

23Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

23Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

24Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.

24Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

25Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;

26In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

27In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

28And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

28Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

29Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

30If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

31The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

32At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,

32In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:

33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

33And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.