¹To boast, really, is not profitable for me, for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

¹ትምክህት የሚያስፈልግ ነው፤ አይጠቅምም ነገር ግን ከጌታ ወዳለው ራእይና መገለጥ እመጣለሁ።

²I have known a man in Christ, fourteen years ago — whether in the body I have not known, whether out of the body I have not known, God hath known — such an one being caught away unto the third heaven;

²ሰውን በክርስቶስ አውቃለሁ፥ በሥጋ እንደ ሆነ አላውቅም ወይም ከሥጋ ውጭ እንደ ሆነ አላውቅም፥ እግዚአብሔር ያውቃል፤ እንዲህ ያለው ሰው ከአሥራ አራት ዓመት በፊት እስከ ሦስተኛው ሰማይ ድረስ ተነጠቀ።

³and I have known such a man — whether in the body, whether out of the body, I have not known, God hath known, —

³እንዲህ ያለውንም ሰው አውቃለሁ፥ በሥጋ እንደ ሆነ ወይም ያለ ሥጋ እንደ ሆነ አላውቅም፥ እግዚአብሔር ያውቃል፤

⁴that he was caught away to the paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, that it is not possible for man to speak.

⁴ወደ ገነት ተነጠቀ፥ ሰውም ሊናገር የማይገባውን የማይነገረውን ቃል ሰማ።

⁵Of such an one I will boast, and of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities,

⁵እንደዚህ ስላለው እመካለሁ፥ ስለ ራሴ ግን ከድካሜ በቀር አልመካም።

⁶for if I may wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for truth I will say; but I forebear, lest any one in regard to me may think anything above what he doth see me, or doth hear anything of me;

⁶ልመካ ብወድስ ሞኝ አልሆንም፥ እውነትን እላለሁና፤ ነገር ግን ማንም ከሚያይ ከእኔም ከሚሰማ የምበልጥ አድርጎ እንዳይቆጥረኝ ትቼአለሁ።

⁷and that by the exceeding greatness of the revelations I might not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of the Adversary, that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

⁷ስለዚህም በመገለጥ ታላቅነት እንዳልታበይ የሥጋዬ መውጊያ፥ እርሱም የሚጎስመኝ የሰይጣን መልእክተኛ ተሰጠኝ፤ ይኸውም እንዳልታበይ ነው።

⁸Concerning this thing thrice the Lord did I call upon, that it might depart from me,

⁸ስለዚህ ነገር ከእኔ እንዲለይ ሦስት ጊዜ ጌታን ለመንሁ።

⁹and He said to me, `Sufficient for thee is My grace, for My power in infirmity is perfected;` most gladly, therefore, will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of the Christ may rest on me:

⁹እርሱም። ጸጋዬ ይበቃሃል፥ ኃይሌ በድካም ይፈጸማልና አለኝ። እንግዲህ የክርስቶስ ኃይል ያድርብኝ ዘንድ በብዙ ደስታ በድካሜ ልመካ እወዳለሁ።

¹⁰wherefore I am well pleased in infirmities, in damages, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses — for Christ; for whenever I am infirm, then I am powerful;

¹⁰ስለዚህ ስለ ክርስቶስ በድካም በመንገላታትም በችግርም በስደትም በጭንቀትም ደስ ይለኛል፤ ስደክም ያን ጊዜ ኃይለኛ ነኝና።

¹¹I have become a fool — boasting; ye — ye did compel me; for I ought by you to have been commended, for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles — even if I am nothing.

¹¹በመመካቴ ሞኝ ሆኜአለሁ፤ እናንተ ግድ አላችሁኝ፤ እናንተ እኔን ልታመሰግኑ ይገባ ነበርና። እኔ ምንም ባልሆን እንኳ፥ ከዋነኞቹ ሐዋርያት በምንም አልጎድልምና።

¹²The signs, indeed, of the apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds,

¹²በእርግጥ የሐዋርያነት ምልክት በመካከላችሁ በምልክትና በድንቅ ነገር በተአምራትም በሁሉ ትዕግሥት ተደረገ።

¹³for what is there in which ye were inferior to the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this injustice!

¹³እኔ ራሴ ካልከበድሁባችሁ ከዚህ በቀር፥ ከሌላ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ያነሳችሁበት በምን እኮ ነው? ይህን በደሌን ይቅር በሉልኝ።

¹⁴Lo, a third time I am ready to come unto you, and I will not be a burden to you, for I seek not yours, but you, for the children ought not for the parents to lay up, but the parents for the children,

¹⁴እነሆ፥ ወደ እናንተ እመጣ ዘንድ ስዘጋጅ ይህ ሦስተኛዬ ነው፤ አልከብድባችሁምም፥ እናንተን እንጂ ያላችሁን አልፈልግምና። ወላጆች ለልጆች እንጂ ልጆች ለወላጆች ገንዘብ ሊያከማቹ አይገባቸውምና።

¹⁵and I most gladly will spend and be entirely spent for your souls, even if, more abundantly loving you, less I am loved.

¹⁵እኔ ግን ስለ ነፍሳችሁ በብዙ ደስታ ገንዘቤን እከፍላለሁ፥ ራሴን እንኳ እከፍላለሁ። ከመጠን ይልቅ ብወዳችሁ በዚህ ልክ ፍቅራችሁ የሚያንስ ነውን?

¹⁶And be it [so], I — I did not burden you, but being crafty, with guile I did take you;

¹⁶ይሁን እንጂ እኔ አልከበድሁባችሁም፤ ነገር ግን ሸንጋይ ሆኜ በተንኰል ያዝኋችሁ።

¹⁷any one of those whom I have sent unto you — by him did I take advantage of you?

¹⁷ወደ እናንተ ከላክኋቸው በአንዱ ስንኳ አታለልኋችሁን?

¹⁸I entreated Titus, and did send with [him] the brother; did Titus take advantage of you? in the same spirit did we not walk? — did we not in the same steps?

¹⁸ቲቶን መከርሁት ከእርሱም ጋር ወንድሙን ላክሁት፤ ቲቶስ አታለላችሁን? በአንድ መንፈስ አልተመላለስንምን? በአንድ ፍለጋስ አልተመላለስንም?

¹⁹Again, think ye that to you we are making defence? before God in Christ do we speak; and the all things, beloved, [are] for your up-building,

¹⁹ለእናንተ ስለ ራሳችን እንድንመልስ ሁልጊዜ ይመስላችኋልን? በእግዚአብሔር ፊት በክርስቶስ ሆነን እንናገራለን፤ ነገር ግን፥ ወዳጆች፥ እናንተን ልናንጻችሁ ሁሉን እንናገራለን።

²⁰for I fear lest, having come, not such as I wish I may find you, and I — I may be found by you such as ye do not wish, lest there be strifes, envyings, wraths, revelries, evil-speakings, whisperings, puffings up, insurrections,

²⁰ስመጣ፥ እንደምወደው ሳትሆኑ አገኛችሁ ይሆናል እኔም እንደምትወዱት ሳልሆን ታገኙኝ ይሆናል ብዬ እፈራለሁና፤ ምናልባት ክርክር ቅንዓትም ቁጣም አድመኝነትም ሐሜትም ማሾክሾክም ኩራትም ሁከትም ይሆናሉ፤

²¹lest again having come, my God may humble me in regard to you, and I may bewail many of those having sinned before, and not having reformed concerning the uncleanness, and whoredom, and lasciviousness, that they did practise.

²¹እንደ ገና ስመጣ በእናንተ ዘንድ አምላኬ እንዲያዋርደኝ፥ አስቀድመውም ኃጢአት ከሠሩትና ስላደረጉት ርኵሰትና ዝሙት መዳራትም ንስሐ ካልገቡት ወገን ስለ ብዙዎች ምናልባት አዝናለሁ ብዬ እፈራለሁ።