1I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!2For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (何2:19; 弗5:27; 西1:22; 西1:28; 启14:4)3But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (创3:4; 约8:44; 林后6:6; 弗6:5; 西2:4; 西2:8; 帖前3:5; 提前2:14)4For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. (林前3:11; 加1:6)5Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. (林后12:11; 加2:6)6Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things. (林前1:17; 林后4:2; 林后5:11; 林后12:12; 弗3:4)7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge? (徒18:3; 林后12:13)8I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you.9And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. (林前16:17; 林后12:13; 林后12:16; 腓4:12; 腓4:15; 帖前2:6)10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. (羅1:9; 羅9:1; 林前9:15)11And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! (林后6:11; 林后11:31; 林后12:2)12And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. (林前9:12)13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. (林后11:14; 加1:7; 加2:4; 加6:12; 腓1:15; 腓3:2; 腓3:18; 多1:10; 多1:12; 彼后2:1; 约一4:1; 启2:2)14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (加1:8)15So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (林后3:9; 腓3:19)
Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle
16I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. (林后12:6)17What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would[1] but as a fool. (林前7:12; 林后9:4)18Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. (腓3:3)19For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! (林前4:10)20For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. (林前4:11; 林后7:2; 加2:4; 加4:3; 加4:9; 加5:1)21To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. (林后10:10)22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. (羅11:1; 腓3:5)23Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. (徒16:23; 羅8:36; 林前15:10; 林前15:30; 林后1:9; 林后3:6; 林后4:11; 林后6:5; 林后6:9; 林后10:7)24Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. (申25:3)25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; (徒14:19; 徒16:22; 徒27:41)26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; (徒9:23; 徒13:50; 徒14:5; 徒17:5; 徒18:12; 徒19:23; 徒20:3; 徒20:19; 徒21:27; 徒21:31; 徒23:10; 徒23:12; 徒25:3; 徒27:42; 帖前2:15)27in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[2] in cold and exposure. (林前4:11; 腓4:12; 帖前2:9; 帖后3:8)28And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (林前7:17)29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? (林前8:13; 林前9:22)30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. (林前2:3; 林后10:10; 林后12:5; 林后12:9)31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. (羅9:5; 羅15:6; 林后11:11)32At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, (徒9:24)33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. (徒9:25)