¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said, “O you unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

⁴ For if ^[a]one comes and preaches ^(A)another Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive a ^(B)different spirit which you did not receive, or a ^(C)different gospel which you did not accept, you ^(D)bear this ^(E)beautifully.

^16 (A)Again I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little.

¹⁹ For you, ^(A)being so wise, are bearing the foolish gladly. ²⁰ For you bear it if anyone ^(B)enslaves you, anyone ^(C)devours you, anyone ^(D)takes advantage of you, anyone ^(E)exalts himself, anyone ^(F)hits you in the face. ²¹ To my ^(G)shame I must say that we have been ^(H)weak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else ^(I)is daring—I ^(J)speak in foolishness—I am just as daring myself. ²² Are they ^(K)Hebrews? ^(L)So am I. Are they ^(M)Israelites? ^(N)So am I. Are they Abraham’s ^(O)seed? ^(P)So am I. ²³ Are they ^(Q)ministers of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in ^[a](R)far more labors, in ^[b](S)far more imprisonments, in ^(T)beatings without number, in frequent ^(U)danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews ^(V)forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(W)beaten with rods, once I was ^(X)stoned, three times I was shipwrecked—a night and a day I have spent in the deep. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my ^(Y)countrymen, dangers from the ^(Z)Gentiles, dangers in the ^(AA)city, dangers in the desolate places, dangers on the sea, dangers among ^(AB)false brothers. ²⁷ I have been in ^(AC)labor and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in ^(AD)starvation and thirst, often ^(AE)hungry, in cold and ^[c](AF)without enough clothing. ²⁸ Apart from such ^[d]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ^(AG)all the churches. ²⁹ Who is ^(AH)weak without my being weak? Who is made to stumble ^[e]without my burning concern?

³⁰ If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my ^(AI)weakness. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^(AJ)He who is blessed forever, ^(AK)knows that I am not lying. ³² In ^(AL)Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was ^(AM)guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, ³³ and I was let down in a basket ^(AN)through a window ^[f]in the wall, and so escaped his hands.