Concern for the Corinthian Church

^11 (A)I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was ^(B)not at all inferior to these super-apostles, ^(C)even though I am nothing.

⁵ Indeed, I consider that ^(A)I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.

Paul and the False Apostles

11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!

⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, ^(A)he appeared also to me. ⁹ For ^(B)I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because ^(C)I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, ^(D)I worked harder than any of them, ^(E)though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

⁸ To me, ^(A)though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, ^(B)to preach to the Gentiles the ^(C)unsearchable ^(D)riches of Christ,

⁶ And from those ^(A)who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; ^(B)God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential ^(C)added nothing to me. ⁷ On the contrary, when they saw that I had been ^(D)entrusted with ^(E)the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised ⁸ (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), ⁹ and when James and Cephas and John, ^(F)who seemed to be ^(G)pillars, perceived the ^(H)grace that was given to me, they ^(I)gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. ¹⁰ Only, they asked us to remember the poor, ^(J)the very thing I was eager to do.

Paul Opposes Peter

¹¹ But ^(K)when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him ^(L)to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, ^(M)he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing ^(N)the circumcision party.^{[a] 13} And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴ But when I saw that their ^(O)conduct was not in step with ^(P)the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ^(Q)before them all, “If you, though a Jew, ^(R)live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

^12 (A)The signs of a true apostle were performed among you ^(B)with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

⁶ though if I should wish to boast, ^(A)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.

Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle

¹⁶ I repeat, ^(A)let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. ¹⁷ What I am saying ^(B)with this boastful confidence, ^(C)I say not as the Lord would^[a] but as a fool.