1 If only you would put up with me in a little senselessnessa—actually, you already are putting up with me!b 2 I am passionately dedicatedc to you with God’s own passion, because I gave you in marriage to one man, like a daughterd presented as sacrede to Christ. 3 I’m afraid, though, that much like the snake tricked Eve with its underhandedness,f somehow your minds will be corruptedg away from sincerity and sacred dedicationh to Christ. 4 After all, if someone actually comes announcing a different Jesus from the one we announced, or you receive a different spiriti than the one you received, or a different triumphant messagej than the one you accepted, you put up with that flawlessly!k 5 I assume nothing has come up short when it comes to the “super-commissioned-ones”!l 6 However, even if I’m an amateur in speaking, that’s not the case with knowledge. In fact, we’ve made that clear to you in every way.
7 Is the issue that I performed a “deviation”m by lowering myself so that you would be lifted up, that I announced God’s triumphant message to you for free? 8 I plundered other Communities,n in order to serve you, by taking payment, 9 but while I was present with you and coming up short, I wasn’t a burden to anyone because when the Family memberso from Macedonia came, they fully supplied what I needed. In every way I was careful not to let myself be a burden to you, and I will keep being careful. 10 As far as I’m concerned—as the truth of Christ is with me—this bragging will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 For what reason? Because I don’t love you? God knows.
12 I will continue to do what I’m doing so that I can cut off any opportunity that might give those who want it an excuse for bragging that they are regarded the same as we are.p 13 You see, people like these are false commissioned-ones, underhanded workers, who pose as Christ’s commissioned ones. 14 And no wonder, since the Adversaryq themselfr poses as a messenger of light. 15 Therefore, it’s no big thing if the Adversary’ss servants also pose as servants of justice; their end will match their actions.
16 Again, I say, I wish no one thought of me as senseless. But if that’s how it is, at least welcome me as senseless so that I can brag a little bit too. 17 When I say that, I’m not speaking in accordance with the Liberating Sovereignt but as if senselessly: with the same bravado.u 18 Since many people brag in accordance with self-serving impulses,v I’ll brag too! 19 Even though you’re sensible,w you gladly put up with senseless people. 20 After all, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone brings you to ruin, if someone takes from you, if someone puts themself above you, or if someone hits you in the face 21 (I’m ashamed to say it: we have been weak by comparison!). Anything anyone else dares to claim, I can claim it too. 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’m speaking nonsense!) I surpass them far and away in troubles and imprisonments, beaten beyond measure, and often close to death. 24 I’ve received forty lashes minus onex from Jewish authoritiesy five times. 25 I’ve been beaten with switchesz three times. I was stonedaa once. I’ve endured three shipwrecks. I spent a full night and day adrift at sea. 26 I’ve experienced frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from ambushes,bb in danger from my own people, in danger from other peoples,cc in danger in cities, in danger in the wilderness, in danger on the sea, in danger from false Family members, 27 with trouble and hardship, with frequent sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in the cold and lacking clothing. 28 Apart from everything else, there’s the crowd of people coming at me every day—the concern for all the Called Communities. 29 Who is weak? Aren’t I weak? Who is tripped up?dd Aren’t I burning with anguish?ee
30 If it’s necessary to brag, I will brag about the things related to my weakness. 31 God, the Father of our Liberating Sovereign Jesus—who is praised throughout the Age—knows I’m not lying. 32 In Damascus, the Ethnarchff under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes to arrest me. 33 But, I was let down in a basketgg through a window in the city wallhh and escaped his grasp.ii
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FOOTNOTES:
a Traditionally, ‘foolishness’
b Literally, “But, in fact, you are putting up with me”
c Traditionally, ‘zealous’
d Traditionally, ‘virgin.’ It literally means ‘unmarried girl’ and in the context it’s comparing the church to a daughter given by a father in marriage, which is how marriage worked in the patriarchal culture.
e Traditionally, ‘pure,’ but it has nothing to do with American “purity culture” and abstinence from sex. It’s a religious term, not a sexual one, connected with ceremonial designation for sacred purposes, sharing a root with the word for ‘sacred’ or ‘holy.’
f Traditionally, ‘cunning,’ ‘craftiness,’ ‘subtlety’ (in the sense of manipulation), or ‘treachery.’
g Traditionally, ‘led astray’ which is more interpretive than strictly translation. “Corrupted” is more literal.
h This is the noun form of the word for ‘sacred’ in verse 2. It’s a religious term for things or people who have been dedicated or prepared for activities in religious ceremonies.
i Traditionally, ‘Spirit.’ The Greek word pneuma could be used to refer to ‘wind,’ ‘breath,’ or an animating energy within people, thought to be perceptible in the breath. Hebrew and Latin also use the same word for all these concepts.
j Traditionally, ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “triumphant message’ is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition, and in this specific instance, it refers to a message that does not convey the same kind of triumph Jesus attained, but something counterfeit, more in line with worldly victory.
k Literally, it just says, “you put up with” but it requires additional words to make sense in English and convey the sarcasm Paul is using.
l Traditionally, ‘super-apostles.’ The phase is two words, one for ‘super’ or ‘more’ or ‘beyond’ and apostolon, which means ‘someone who is sent to carry out a purpose’ and while it became used in a particular way in the church, it was not an inherently religious word in the Greek language. See verse 13 for what he really thinks of them.
m The word in Greek here is hamartia, traditionally translated ‘sin.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. It evokes an image of veering off course, ending up in at an unintended location. Jesus used it regarding many situations, including harmful behavior, disregarding responsibilities as a people or individual called to a specific purpose, and even having chronic illness or debilitating injuries or cultural identities that prohibit one from full participation in temple worship according to the Torah, which is not implied to be wrongdoing but simply not aligned with Torah. Paul and others continued its use, usually with an emphasis on harmful behavior toward others, whether oppressive, exploitative, violent, or other patterns of community behavior contrary to the way of love traced out by the Hebrew Scriptures and lived out by Jesus.
n Traditionally, ‘church’ or ‘assembly,’ the word ekklesia is about a community of people called from within a larger society to respond to the needs of that society, such as a neighborhood association.
o The word adelphos, literally means ‘brother’ or ‘sibling.’ It was also frequently used to refer to ‘cousin’ or ‘relative,’ and even for members of the same ideological or ethnic group. With Jesus’ insistence on a radically inclusive understanding of God’s instruction, it is always pushing further than what already seems to be the most wide-sweeping view people hold. In the New Testament letters, it comes to be used of anyone who has joined the Christ community, regardless of gender.
p Literally, “…cut off the opportunity of those who want an opportunity so that they might be found with what they brag about just the same as we are”
q The word satanas was not a name. It meant ‘adversary’ in the sense of prosecutor or opponent. It carries the meaning of someone who is against another, trying to sabotage their efforts and their wellbeing, and against someone as a plaintiff in court. It is an enemy, but also someone accusing another of wrongdoing, whether truly or falsely. It’s not just about pointing out something bad, but actively moving to cause adversity for someone else. The concept of Ha Shatan in the Hebrew Bible was not the evil archnemesis of God that Christian teaching has turned it into. It was described as a member of the council of spiritual beings whose role was to test people to see how genuine they were. The clearest example of this is in the book of Job.
r Or ‘itself’
s It’s a possessive pronoun here, but “Adversary’s” was used for clarity.
t Traditionally, ‘Lord.’ The Greek word kurios, when applied to Jesus, can be translated in several ways, including ‘sir,’ ‘master,’ or ‘sovereign.’ Rendering it as “Lord” reflects the feudal, patriarchal, and imperial assumptions embedded in early English translations, which often reinforced hierarchical power structures. In both Greco-Roman and American history, kurios and “lord” were titles used for slaveowners. As Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney notes, “Lord is a slavery word,” and when used without theological and historical framing, it risks reinscribing the very systems of domination that Jesus came to upend (A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year A, Introduction). In the Roman imperial context, kurios was also a title for Caesar—as was soter (‘savior’ or ‘liberator’). The New Testament’s application of kurios to Jesus is thus not only theological but also politically subversive. The Christ of the Christian scriptures is not an overlord but a radically different kind of sovereign—one who liberates through justice, solidarity, and self-giving love. Rendering kurios as “Liberating Sovereign” preserves the subversive edge of the title while resisting the hierarchical and enslaver connotations embedded in the English word “Lord.”
u Or ‘bragging’ or ‘boasting’ or ‘show of pride’
v Traditionally, ‘with the flesh’
w Or ‘prudent’ or ‘intelligent’ or ‘wise’
x See Deuteronomy 25:3
y The word here is literally “Jews” or “Judeans,” but it should not be taken as a blanket criticism against Jews in general. It would specifically been the leaders in power who sentenced him to these lashes.
z The Greek verb errabdisthen is the passive aorist of rhabdizo, meaning “to beat with a stick or staff.” The word “switches” was used to surface the historical context. In Roman and Greco-Roman practice, this referred to judicial or extrajudicial corporal punishment using wooden sticks that were thin and flexible, designed to inflict pain and humiliation, but not risk death or serious injury. Paul, though a Roman citizen, says he endured this punishment three times, likely at the hands of local authorities acting outside legal norms. Translating this as “beaten with switches” conveys both the instrument and the social degradation involved.
aa See Acts 14:19
bb Literally, ‘robbers’ or ‘insurrectionists’
cc Traditionally, ‘Gentiles.’ The word ethnoi literally means ‘nations’ or ‘people groups’ and is where the English word ‘ethnicity' comes from. It is usually—but not always—used in the Bible to refer to people groups other than the one the speaker belongs to, so typically to people groups other than Jews since most speakers/authors are Jewish.
dd Or ‘offended’
ee The Greek word puroumai literally means “I burn” and is used metaphorically to express intense emotional agitation. It could refer to burning with anger, grief, or distress.
ff A governor or regional administrator, possibly representing Nabatean rule in Damascus under King Aretas IV.
gg The word specifically refers to a basket made of rope.
hh See Acts 9:25
ii Literally, ‘hands’