| Berean Study Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that. | 1I wish you would put up with a little foolishness from me. Yes, do put up with me. |
| 2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. | 2For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband--to present a pure virgin to Christ. |
| 3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. | 3But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. |
| 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than 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 way too easily. | 4For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly! |
| 5I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.” | 5Now I consider myself in no way inferior to the "super-apostles." |
| 6Although I am not a polished speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way possible. | 6Though untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything. |
| 7Was it a sin for me to humble myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? | 7Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? |
| 8I robbed other churches by accepting their support in order to serve you. | 8I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you. |
| 9And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so. | 9When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way. |
| 10As surely as 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, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. |
| 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! | 11Why? Because I don't love you? God knows I do! |
| 12But I will keep on doing what I am doing, in order to undercut those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things of which they boast. | 12But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as our equals in what they boast about. |
| 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. | 13For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. |
| 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. | 14And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. |
| 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. | 15So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works. |
| 16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. | 16I repeat: No one should consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. |
| 17In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool. | 17What I say in this matter of boasting, I don't speak as the Lord would, but foolishly. |
| 18Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast. | 18Since many boast in an unspiritual way, I will also boast. |
| 19For you gladly tolerate fools, since you are so wise. | 19For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools! |
| 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face. | 20In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face. |
| 21To my shame I concede that we were too weak for that! Speaking as a fool, however, I can match what anyone else dares to boast about. | 21I say this to our shame: We have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares to boast--I am talking foolishly--I also dare: |
| 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 am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death. | 23Are they servants of Christ? I'm talking like a madman--I'm a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, near death many times. |
| 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. | 24Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. |
| 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. | 25Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. Once I was stoned by my enemies. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. |
| 26In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers, | 26On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; |
| 27in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure. | 27labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing. |
| 28Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. | 28Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. |
| 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief? | 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? |
| 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. | 30If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. |
| 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying. | 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows I am not lying. |
| 32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me. | 32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, |
| 33But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp. | 33so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. |
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