| International Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1I wish you would tolerate a little of my foolishness. Yes, please tolerate me! | 1I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! |
| 2I am jealous of you with God's own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah. | 2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. |
| 3However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to the Messiah. | 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. |
| 4For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen. | 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. |
| 5I do not think I'm inferior in any way to those "super-apostles." | 5I do not think I am in the least inferior to those "super-apostles." |
| 6Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way. | 6I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. |
| 7Did I commit a sin when I humbled myself by proclaiming to you the gospel of God free of charge, so that you could be exalted? | 7Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? |
| 8I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. | 8I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. |
| 9When I was with you and needed something, I did not bother any of you, because our brothers who came from Macedonia supplied everything I needed. I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so. | 9And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. |
| 10As surely as the truth of the Messiah is in me, my boasting will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. | 10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. |
| 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do! | 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! |
| 12But I will go on doing what I'm doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about. | 12And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. |
| 13Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah. | 13For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. |
| 14And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. | 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. |
| 15So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doom will match their deeds! | 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. |
| 16I will say it again: No one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, then treat me like a fool so that I can also boast a little. | 16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. |
| 17When I talk as a confident boaster, I am not talking with the Lord's authority but like a fool. | 17In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. |
| 18Since many people boast in a fleshly way, I will do it, too. | 18Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. |
| 19You are wise, so you will gladly be tolerant of fools. | 19You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! |
| 20You tolerate anyone who makes you his slaves, devours what you have, takes what is yours, orders you around, or slaps your face! | 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. |
| 21I am ashamed to admit it, but we have been too weak for that. Whatever anyone else dares to claim—I am talking like a fool—I can claim it, too. | 21To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! Whatever anyone else dares to boast about--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast about. |
| 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelis? So am I. Are they among Abraham's descendants? So am I. | 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. |
| 23Are they the Messiah's servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. | 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. |
| 24Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. | 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. |
| 25Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. | 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, |
| 26I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I've also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, | 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. |
| 27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. | 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. |
| 28Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches. | 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. |
| 29Who is weak without me being weak, too? Who is caused to stumble without me becoming indignant? | 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? |
| 30If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show how weak I am. | 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. |
| 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. | 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. |
| 32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas put guards around the city of Damascus to catch me, | 32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. |
| 33but I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him. | 33But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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