Paul and His Opponents

1I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me! 2For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough! 5For I consider myself not at all inferior to those “super-apostles.” 6And even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way. 7Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you could be exalted, because I proclaimed the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you! 9When I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs. I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! 12And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about. 13For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.

Paul’s Sufferings for Christ

16I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness. 18Since many are boasting according to human standards, I too will boast. 19For since you are so wise, you put up with fools gladly. 20For you put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly toward you, if someone strikes you in the face. 21(To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing. 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times. 24Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. 25Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. 26I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, 27in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing. 28Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with indignation? 30If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show my weakness. 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. 32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to arrest me, 33but I was let down in a rope-basket through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands.