1ትምክህት የሚያስፈልግ ነው፤ አይጠቅምም ነገር ግን ከጌታ ወዳለው ራእይና መገለጥ እመጣለሁ።
1Well, it is not of profit to me to boast, for 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 out of the body I know not, God knows;) such [a one] caught up 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 out of the body I know not, God knows;)
4ወደ ገነት ተነጠቀ፥ ሰውም ሊናገር የማይገባውን የማይነገረውን ቃል ሰማ።
4that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable things said which it is not allowed to man to utter.
5እንደዚህ ስላለው እመካለሁ፥ ስለ ራሴ ግን ከድካሜ በቀር አልመካም።
5Of such [a one] I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, unless in my weaknesses.
6ልመካ ብወድስ ሞኝ አልሆንም፥ እውነትን እላለሁና፤ ነገር ግን ማንም ከሚያይ ከእኔም ከሚሰማ የምበልጥ አድርጎ እንዳይቆጥረኝ ትቼአለሁ።
6For if I shall desire to boast, I shall not be a fool; for I will say [the] truth; but I forbear, lest any one should think as to me above what he sees me [to be], or whatever he may hear of me.
7ስለዚህም በመገለጥ ታላቅነት እንዳልታበይ የሥጋዬ መውጊያ፥ እርሱም የሚጎስመኝ የሰይጣን መልእክተኛ ተሰጠኝ፤ ይኸውም እንዳልታበይ ነው።
7And that I might not be exalted by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn for the flesh, a messenger of Satan that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted.
8ስለዚህ ነገር ከእኔ እንዲለይ ሦስት ጊዜ ጌታን ለመንሁ።
8For this I thrice besought the Lord 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 said to me, My grace suffices thee; for [my] power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may dwell upon me.
10ስለዚህ ስለ ክርስቶስ በድካም በመንገላታትም በችግርም በስደትም በጭንቀትም ደስ ይለኛል፤ ስደክም ያን ጊዜ ኃይለኛ ነኝና።
10Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions, in straits, for Christ: for when I am weak, then I am powerful.
11በመመካቴ ሞኝ ሆኜአለሁ፤ እናንተ ግድ አላችሁኝ፤ እናንተ እኔን ልታመሰግኑ ይገባ ነበርና። እኔ ምንም ባልሆን እንኳ፥ ከዋነኞቹ ሐዋርያት በምንም አልጎድልምና።
11I have become a fool; *ye* have compelled me; for *I* ought to have been commended by you; for I have been nothing behind those who were in surpassing degree apostles, if also I am nothing.
12በእርግጥ የሐዋርያነት ምልክት በመካከላችሁ በምልክትና በድንቅ ነገር በተአምራትም በሁሉ ትዕግሥት ተደረገ።
12The signs indeed of the apostle were wrought among you in all endurance, signs, and wonders, and works of power.
13እኔ ራሴ ካልከበድሁባችሁ ከዚህ በቀር፥ ከሌላ ቤተ ክርስቲያን ያነሳችሁበት በምን እኮ ነው? ይህን በደሌን ይቅር በሉልኝ።
13For in what is it that ye have been inferior to the other assemblies, unless that I myself have not been in laziness a charge upon you? Forgive me this injury.
14እነሆ፥ ወደ እናንተ እመጣ ዘንድ ስዘጋጅ ይህ ሦስተኛዬ ነው፤ አልከብድባችሁምም፥ እናንተን እንጂ ያላችሁን አልፈልግምና። ወላጆች ለልጆች እንጂ ልጆች ለወላጆች ገንዘብ ሊያከማቹ አይገባቸውምና።
14Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be in laziness a charge; for I do not seek 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?
15Now *I* shall most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your souls, if even in abundantly loving you I should be less loved.
16ይሁን እንጂ እኔ አልከበድሁባችሁም፤ ነገር ግን ሸንጋይ ሆኜ በተንኰል ያዝኋችሁ።
16But be it so. *I* did not burden you, but being crafty I took you by guile.
17ወደ እናንተ ከላክኋቸው በአንዱ ስንኳ አታለልኋችሁን?
17Did I make gain of you by any of those whom I have sent to you?
18ቲቶን መከርሁት ከእርሱም ጋር ወንድሙን ላክሁት፤ ቲቶስ አታለላችሁን? በአንድ መንፈስ አልተመላለስንምን? በአንድ ፍለጋስ አልተመላለስንም?
18I begged Titus, and sent the brother with [him]: did Titus at all make gain of you? have we not walked in the same spirit? [have 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 have long been supposing that we excuse ourselves to you: we speak before God in Christ; and all things, beloved, for your building up.
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 perhaps coming I find you not such as I wish, and that *I* be found by you such as ye do not wish: lest [there might be] strifes, jealousies, angers, contentions, evil speakings, whisperings, puffings up, disturbances;
21እንደ ገና ስመጣ በእናንተ ዘንድ አምላኬ እንዲያዋርደኝ፥ አስቀድመውም ኃጢአት ከሠሩትና ስላደረጉት ርኵሰትና ዝሙት መዳራትም ንስሐ ካልገቡት ወገን ስለ ብዙዎች ምናልባት አዝናለሁ ብዬ እፈራለሁ።
21lest my God should humble me as to you when I come again, and that I shall grieve over many of those who have sinned before, and have not repented as to the uncleanness and fornication and licentiousness which they have practised.