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Common English Bible CEB
1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me!
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I hope that you will put up with me while I act like a fool. Well, in fact, you are putting up with me!
2 I 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.
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I'm deeply concerned about you with the same concern that God has. As your father, I promised you in marriage to one husband. I promised to present you as an innocent virgin to Christ himself.
3 But 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.
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But I'm afraid that your minds might be seduced in the same way as the snake deceived Eve with his devious tricks. You might be unable to focus completely on a genuine and innocent commitment to Christ.
4 For 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.
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If a person comes and preaches some other Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different Spirit than the one you had received, or a different gospel than the one you embraced, you put up with it so easily!
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
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I don't consider myself as second-rate in any way compared to the "super-apostles."
6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
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But even if I'm uneducated in public speaking, I'm not uneducated in knowledge. We have shown this to you in every way and in everything we have done.
7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?
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Did I commit a sin by humbling myself to give you an advantage because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?
8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
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I robbed other churches by taking a salary from them in order to serve you!
9 And 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.
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While I was with you, I didn't burden any of you even though I needed things. The believers who came from Macedonia gave me everything I needed. I kept myself from being a financial drain on you in any way, and I will continue to keep myself from being a burden.
10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.
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Since Christ's truth is in me, I won't stop telling the entire area of Greece that I'm proud of what I did.
11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
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Why? Is it because I don't love you? God knows that I do!
12 And 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.
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But I'm going to continue to do what I'm doing. I want to contradict the claims of the people who want to be treated like they are the same as us because of what they brag about.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
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Such people are false apostles and dishonest workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
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And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
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It is no great surprise then that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
16 I 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.
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I repeat, no one should take me for a fool. But if you do, then allow me to be a fool so that I can brag like a fool for a bit.
17 In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.
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I'm not saying what I'm saying because the Lord tells me to. I'm saying it like I'm a fool. I'm putting my confidence in this business of bragging.
18 Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.
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Since so many people are bragging based on human standards, that is how I'm going to brag too.
19 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise!
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Because you, who are so wise, are happy to put up with fools.
20 In 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.
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You put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone places themselves over you, or if someone hits you in the face.
21 To 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.
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I'm ashamed to say that we have been weak in comparison! But in whatever they challenge me, I challenge them (I'm speaking foolishly).
22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.
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Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are 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.
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Are they ministers of Christ? I'm speaking like a crazy person. What I've done goes well beyond what they've done. I've worked much harder. I've been imprisoned much more often. I've been beaten more times than I can count. I've faced death many times.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
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I received the "forty lashes minus one" from the Jews five times.
25 Three 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,
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I was beaten with rods three times. I was stoned once. I was shipwrecked three times. I spent a day and a night on the open sea.
26 I 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.
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I've been on many journeys. I faced dangers from rivers, robbers, my people, and Gentiles. I faced dangers in the city, in the desert, on the sea, and from false brothers and sisters.
27 I 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.
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I faced these dangers with hard work and heavy labor, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, and in the cold without enough clothes.
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
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Besides all the other things I could mention, there's my daily stress because I'm concerned about all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
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Who is weak without me being weak? Who is led astray without me being furious about it?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
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If it's necessary to brag, I'll brag about my weaknesses.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.
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The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the one who is blessed forever, knows that I'm not lying.
32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.
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At Damascus the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to capture me,
33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
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but I got away from him by being lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible