¹⁰ For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but ^(A)his bodily presence is weak, and ^(B)his speech of no account.”

¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and ^(A)not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

¹³ You know it was ^(A)because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you ^(B)at first, ¹⁴ and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me ^(C)as an angel of God, ^(D)as Christ Jesus.

^6 (A)Even if I am unskilled in speaking, ^(B)I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way ^(C)we have made this plain to you in all things.

⁵ On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, ^(A)except of my weaknesses— ⁶ though if I should wish to boast, ^(B)I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷ So ^(C)to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,^{[a] (D)}a thorn was given me in the flesh, ^(E)a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ^8 (F)Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, ^(G)“My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(H)my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that ^(I)the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul Defends His Ministry

10 ^(A)I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the ^(B)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—

Proclaiming Christ Crucified

2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,^{[a] (A)}did not come proclaiming to you ^(B)the testimony^[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. ² For I decided to know nothing among you except ^(C)Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ And ^(D)I was with you ^(E)in weakness and in fear and much trembling, ⁴ and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of ^(F)the Spirit and of power,

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach^[a] to save those who believe.

⁶ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, ^(A)I do not know how to speak, ^(B)for I am only a youth.”