Paul and the False Apostles
1 I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do! 2 I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. 4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!
5 I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours! 6 Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.
7 I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me? 8 While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you. 9 And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you! 10 By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia. 11 Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!
12 I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other “apostles” from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. 13 Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. 14 Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! 15 So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.
Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle
16 I repeat: no one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, just so I will have a little to boast of. 17 Of course what I am saying now is not what the Lord would have me say; in this matter of boasting I am really talking like a fool. 18 But since there are so many who boast for merely human reasons, I will do the same. 19 You yourselves are so wise, and so you gladly tolerate fools! 20 You tolerate anyone who orders you around or takes advantage of you or traps you or looks down on you or slaps you in the face. 21 I am ashamed to admit that we were too timid to do those things!
But if anyone dares to boast about something—I am talking like a fool—I will be just as daring. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman—but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. 24 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. 28 And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.
30 If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—blessed be his name forever!—knows that I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas placed guards at the city gates to arrest me. 33 But I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.
1 Kaut jūs mani mazliet panestu manā neprātā. Bet jūs jau mani panesat. 2 Jo es esmu iededzies par jums ar dievišķu karstumu; es jūs esmu saderinājis, lai jūs pievestu vienam vīram, Kristum, kā šķīstu jaunavu. 3 Bet es baidos, ka čūska, kas ar savu viltību piekrāpa Ievu, tāpat nesamaitā arī jūsu domas un nenovērš no vienkāršības un skaidrības, kas ir Kristū. 4 Bet, ja kāds nāk un sludina citu Jēzu, ne to, ko mēs esam sludinājuši, jeb ja jūs dabūjat citu garu, ne to, ko jūs esat saņēmuši, jeb citu evaņģēliju, ne to, ko esat pieņēmuši, tad jūs to labprāt ciešat. 5 Es domāju, ka es nekādā ziņā neesmu mazāks par dižapustuļiem. 6 Lai arī esmu nepraša runā, tomēr ne atziņā, to esam jums visiem visās lietās pierādījuši. 7 Vai tad esmu grēkojis, pats sevi pazemodams, lai jūs augsti celtu, ka sludināju jums evaņģēliju bez atlīdzības? 8 Citas draudzes es aplaupīju, no tām algu ņemdams par jūsu apkalpošanu; un kad, pie jums būdams, atrados trūkumā, tomēr nevienu neesmu apgrūtinājis. 9 Manu trūkumu novērsa tie brāļi, kas atnāca no Maķedonijas; visās lietās es tā turējos, ka jūs neapgrūtinātu, un arī turpmāk neapgrūtināšu. 10 Tik tiešām, ka Kristus patiesība ir manī, šī slava man nevar tikt liegta Ahajas robežās. 11 Kādēļ? Vai tad es jūs nemīlu? To Dievs zina. 12 Bet, ko es daru, to arī turpmāk vēl darīšu, lai atņemtu iespēju lielīties tiem, kas to meklē, lai tanīs lietās, ar kurām tie lielās, tie izrādītos tādi paši kā mēs. 13 Jo tie ir viltus apustuļi un viltīgi strādnieki, izlikdamies par Kristus apustuļiem. 14 Nav arī brīnums; jo pats sātans izliekas par gaismas eņģeli. 15 Tad arī nav nekas sevišķs, ka viņa kalpi izliekas par taisnības kalpiem; to gals būs tāds kā viņu darbi. 16 Atkal es jums saku: lai neviens netur mani par bezprāti. Bet, ja jau, tad pieņemiet mani arī kā bezprāti, lai arī es varētu mazliet lielīties. 17 Ko te saku, to nesaku pēc Tā Kunga prāta, bet it kā neprātā, jo esmu pārliecināts, ka varu lielīties. 18 Ja tad jau daudzi lielās pasaules lietās, tad arī es gribu lielīties. 19 Jūs, prātīgie, taču labprāt panesat neprātīgos. 20 Jo jūs panesat, ja kāds jūs kalpina, ja kāds jūs izsūc, ja kāds aplaupa, ja kāds nicina, ja kāds jums sit vaigā. 21 Par apkaunošanu sev es to saku, mēs uz to nebijām spējīgi. Bet, ja kas lepojas ar kaut ko - es runāju neprātā -, tad es arī. 22 Tie ir ebreji? Es arī. Tie ir israēlieši? Es arī. Tie ir Ābrahāma dzimums? Es arī. 23 Tie ir Kristus kalpi? Es runāju neprātā - es vēl vairāk: daudz vairāk darbā, daudz vairāk cietumos, bez mēra sitienus ciezdams, bieži nāves briesmās. 24 No jūdiem es esmu dabūjis piecas reizes četrdesmit sitienu bez viena. 25 Trīs reizes dabūju rīkstes, vienreiz mani mētāja akmeņiem, trīs reizes biju ūdens briesmās, visu dienu un nakti biju jūras viļņu varā. 26 Bieži biju ceļojumos, ūdens briesmās upēs, laupītāju briesmās, briesmās savu ļaužu vidū, briesmās pagānu vidū, briesmās pilsētā, briesmās tuksnesī, briesmās uz jūras, briesmās viltus brāļu starpā, 27 darbā un pūlēs, daudzās bezmiega naktīs, izsalkumā un slāpēs, daudzreiz badā, salā un kailumā. 28 Bez tam vēl viss pārējais, ļaužu pieplūdums ik dienas, rūpes par visām draudzēm. 29 Kur ir kāds nespēcīgs, un es nebūtu nespēcīgs? Kur kāds krīt grēkā, un mana sirds nedegtu? 30 Ja jau jālielās, tad lielīšos ar savu nespēku. 31 Mūsu Kunga Jēzus Dievs un Tēvs, kas ir augsti teicams mūžīgi, zina, ka es nemeloju. 32 Damaskā ķēniņa Aretas zemes pārvaldnieks lika Damaskas pilsētu apsargāt, lai mani sagūstītu, 33 pa logu kurvī mani nolaida pār mūri, tā es izglābos no viņa rokas.
