New Living Translation

King James Bible

1I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me.

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

2For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—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 fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

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.

4You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

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.

5But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things.

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

6I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.

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

7Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?

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 their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.

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

9And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.

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 surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this.

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

11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.

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

12But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours.

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.

13These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.

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

14But I am not surprised! 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 wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve. Paul’s Many Trials

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.

16Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also 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.

17Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.

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

18And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too.

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

19After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!

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

20You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps 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.

21I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too.

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 descendants 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 know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.

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 different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.

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. Once I spent a whole night and a day 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;

26I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

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;

27I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

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

28Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern 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 without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

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

30If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

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

31God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.

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

32When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me.

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

33I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.

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

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.