1. 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’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’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. 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 don’t consider myself as second-rate in any way compared to the "super-apostles."
6. 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. 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 taking a salary from them in order to serve you!
9. 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. 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? Is it because I don’t love you? God knows that I do!
12. 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. Such people are false apostles and dishonest workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.