Our affection for you is not restricted, but you are restricted in your affections for us.

And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel.

For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends.

And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about.

(To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.

Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.

I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers,

For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to Christ, so too do we.

I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

Put yourselves to the test to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you – unless, indeed, you fail the test!

But it is God who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,

For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in everything.

For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much more has what remains come in glory!

But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,

by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love,

Now as a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts to us also.

I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you!

in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.