King James Version KJV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
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I would like you to bear with me in a little foolishness - please do bear with me!
2 For 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.
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For I am jealous for you with God's kind of jealousy; since I promised to present you as a pure virgin in marriage to your one husband, the Messiah;
3 But 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.
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and I fear that somehow your minds may be seduced away from simple and pure devotion to the Messiah, just as Havah was deceived by the serpent and his craftiness.
4 For 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.
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For if someone comes and tells you about some other Yeshua than the one we told you about, or if you receive a spirit different from the one you received or accept some so-called "good news" different from the Good News you already accepted, you bear with him well enough!
5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.
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For I don't consider myself in any way inferior to these "super-emissaries."
6 But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.
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I may not be a skilled speaker, but I do have the knowledge; anyhow, we have made this clear to you in every way and in every circumstance.
7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?
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Or did I sin in humbling myself so that you could be exalted, in proclaiming God's Good News to you free of charge?
8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
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I robbed other congregations by accepting support from them in order to serve you.
9 And 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.
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And when I was with you and had needs, I did not burden anyone: my needs were met by the brothers who came from Macedonia. In nothing have I been a burden to you, nor will I be.
10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
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The truthfulness of the Messiah is in me, so that this boast concerning me is not going to be silenced anywhere in Achaia.
11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
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Why won't I ever accept your support? Is it that I don't love you? God knows I do!
12 But 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.
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No, I do it - and will go on doing it - in order to cut the ground from under those who want an excuse to boast that they work the same way we do.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
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The fact is that such men are pseudo-emissaries: they tell lies about their work and masquerade as emissaries of the Messiah.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
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There is nothing surprising in that, for the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light;
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
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so it's no great thing if his workers masquerade as servants of righteousness. They will meet the end their deeds deserve.
16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
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I repeat: don't let anyone think I am a fool. But even if you do, at least receive me as a fool; so that I too may do a little boasting!
17 That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
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What I am saying is not in accordance with the Lord; rather, this conceited boasting is spoken as a fool would speak.
18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
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Since many people boast in a worldly way, I too will boast this way.
19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
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For since you yourselves are so wise, you gladly put up with fools!
20 For 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.
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You put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, exploits you, takes you in, puffs himself up, slaps you in the face.
21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.
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To my shame, I must admit that we have been too "weak" to do such things! But if anyone dares to boast about something - I'm talking like a fool! - I am just as daring.
22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
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Are they Hebrew-speakers? So am I. Are they of the people of Isra'el? So am I. Are they descendants of Avraham? So am I.
23 Are 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.
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Are they servants of the Messiah? (I'm talking like a madman!) I'm a better one! I've worked much harder, been imprisoned more often, suffered more beatings, been near death over and over.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
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Five times I received "forty lashes less one" from the Jews.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
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Three 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.
26 In 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;
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In my many travels I have been exposed to danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers.
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
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I have toiled and endured hardship, often not had enough sleep, been hungry and thirsty, frequently gone without food, been cold and naked.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
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And besides these external matters, there is the daily pressure of my anxious concern for all the congregations.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
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Who is weak without my sharing his weakness? Who falls into sin without my burning inside?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
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If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
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God the Father of the Lord Yeshua - blessed be he forever - knows that I am not lying!
32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
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When I was in Dalmanuta, the governor under King Aretas had the city of Dalmanuta guarded in order to arrest me;
33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
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but I was lowered in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped his clutches.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.