1ትምክህት የሚያስፈልግ ነው፤ አይጠቅምም ነገር ግን ከጌታ ወዳለው ራእይና መገለጥ እመጣለሁ።
1I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
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።
2I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
3እንዲህ ያለውንም ሰው አውቃለሁ፥ በሥጋ እንደ ሆነ ወይም ያለ ሥጋ እንደ ሆነ አላውቅም፥ እግዚአብሔር ያውቃል፤
3And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth),
4ወደ ገነት ተነጠቀ፥ ሰውም ሊናገር የማይገባውን የማይነገረውን ቃል ሰማ።
4how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
5እንደዚህ ስላለው እመካለሁ፥ ስለ ራሴ ግን ከድካሜ በቀር አልመካም።
5On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in [my] weaknesses.
6ልመካ ብወድስ ሞኝ አልሆንም፥ እውነትን እላለሁና፤ ነገር ግን ማንም ከሚያይ ከእኔም ከሚሰማ የምበልጥ አድርጎ እንዳይቆጥረኝ ትቼአለሁ።
6For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account of me above that which he seeth me [to be], or heareth from me.
7ስለዚህም በመገለጥ ታላቅነት እንዳልታበይ የሥጋዬ መውጊያ፥ እርሱም የሚጎስመኝ የሰይጣን መልእክተኛ ተሰጠኝ፤ ይኸውም እንዳልታበይ ነው።
7And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
8ስለዚህ ነገር ከእኔ እንዲለይ ሦስት ጊዜ ጌታን ለመንሁ።
8Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9እርሱም። ጸጋዬ ይበቃሃል፥ ኃይሌ በድካም ይፈጸማልና አለኝ። እንግዲህ የክርስቶስ ኃይል ያድርብኝ ዘንድ በብዙ ደስታ በድካሜ ልመካ እወዳለሁ።
9And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10ስለዚህ ስለ ክርስቶስ በድካም በመንገላታትም በችግርም በስደትም በጭንቀትም ደስ ይለኛል፤ ስደክም ያን ጊዜ ኃይለኛ ነኝና።
10Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
11በመመካቴ ሞኝ ሆኜአለሁ፤ እናንተ ግድ አላችሁኝ፤ እናንተ እኔን ልታመሰግኑ ይገባ ነበርና። እኔ ምንም ባልሆን እንኳ፥ ከዋነኞቹ ሐዋርያት በምንም አልጎድልምና።
11I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.
12በእርግጥ የሐዋርያነት ምልክት በመካከላችሁ በምልክትና በድንቅ ነገር በተአምራትም በሁሉ ትዕግሥት ተደረገ።
12Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.
13እኔ ራሴ ካልከበድሁባችሁ ከዚህ በቀር፥ ከሌላ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ያነሳችሁበት በምን እኮ ነው? ይህን በደሌን ይቅር በሉልኝ።
13For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except [it be] that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong.
14እነሆ፥ ወደ እናንተ እመጣ ዘንድ ስዘጋጅ ይህ ሦስተኛዬ ነው፤ አልከብድባችሁምም፥ እናንተን እንጂ ያላችሁን አልፈልግምና። ወላጆች ለልጆች እንጂ ልጆች ለወላጆች ገንዘብ ሊያከማቹ አይገባቸውምና።
14Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
15እኔ ግን ስለ ነፍሳችሁ በብዙ ደስታ ገንዘቤን እከፍላለሁ፥ ራሴን እንኳ እከፍላለሁ። ከመጠን ይልቅ ብወዳችሁ በዚህ ልክ ፍቅራችሁ የሚያንስ ነውን?
15And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?
16ይሁን እንጂ እኔ አልከበድሁባችሁም፤ ነገር ግን ሸንጋይ ሆኜ በተንኰል ያዝኋችሁ።
16But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
17ወደ እናንተ ከላክኋቸው በአንዱ ስንኳ አታለልኋችሁን?
17Did I take advantage of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you?
18ቲቶን መከርሁት ከእርሱም ጋር ወንድሙን ላክሁት፤ ቲቶስ አታለላችሁን? በአንድ መንፈስ አልተመላለስንምን? በአንድ ፍለጋስ አልተመላለስንም?
18I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? walked we not in the same spirit? [walked we] not in the same steps?
19ለእናንተ ስለ ራሳችን እንድንመልስ ሁልጊዜ ይመስላችኋልን? በእግዚአብሔር ፊት በክርስቶስ ሆነን እንናገራለን፤ ነገር ግን፥ ወዳጆች፥ እናንተን ልናንጻችሁ ሁሉን እንናገራለን።
19Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, [are] for your edifying.
20ስመጣ፥ እንደምወደው ሳትሆኑ አገኛችሁ ይሆናል እኔም እንደምትወዱት ሳልሆን ታገኙኝ ይሆናል ብዬ እፈራለሁና፤ ምናልባት ክርክር ቅንዓትም ቁጣም አድመኝነትም ሐሜትም ማሾክሾክም ኩራትም ሁከትም ይሆናሉ፤
20For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means [there should be] strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;
21እንደ ገና ስመጣ በእናንተ ዘንድ አምላኬ እንዲያዋርደኝ፥ አስቀድመውም ኃጢአት ከሠሩትና ስላደረጉት ርኵሰትና ዝሙት መዳራትም ንስሐ ካልገቡት ወገን ስለ ብዙዎች ምናልባት አዝናለሁ ብዬ እፈራለሁ።
21lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed.