¹Laiti mngenivumilia kidogo, hata kama mimi ni mjinga kiasi fulani! Naam, nivumilieni kidogo.

¹O that ye were bearing with me a little of the folly, but ye also do bear with me:

²Ninawaoneeni wivu lakini ni wivu wa Mungu; maana ninyi ni kama bikira safi niliyemposa kwa mwanamume mmoja tu ambaye ndiye Kristo.

²for I am zealous for you with zeal of God, for I did betroth you to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to Christ,

³Lakini naogopa kwamba, kama vile yule nyoka kwa hila zake za uongo alimdanganya Hawa, fikira zenu zaweza kupotoshwa, mkauacha uaminifu wenu wa kweli kwa Kristo.

³and I fear, lest, as the serpent did beguile Eve in his subtilty, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that [is] in the Christ;

⁴Maana mtu yeyote ajaye na kumhubiri Yesu aliye tofauti na yule tuliyemhubiri, ninyi mwampokea kwa mikono miwili; au mnakubali roho au habari njema tofauti kabisa na ile mliyopokea kutoka kwetu!

⁴for if, indeed, he who is coming doth preach another Jesus whom we did not preach, or another Spirit ye receive which ye did not receive, or other good news which ye did not accept — well were ye bearing [it],

⁵Sidhani kwamba mimi ni mdogo kuliko hao "mitume wakuu."

⁵for I reckon that I have been nothing behind the very chiefest apostles,

⁶Labda sina ufasaha wa lugha, lakini elimu ninayo; jambo hili tumelionyesha wazi kwenu, kila mahali na kila wakati.

⁶and even if unlearned in word — yet not in knowledge, but in every thing we were made manifest in all things to you.

⁷Mimi niliihubiri kwenu Habari Njema ya Mungu bila kudai mshahara; nilijinyenyekeza ili nipate kuwakweza ninyi. Je, nilifanya vibaya?

⁷The sin did I do — myself humbling that ye might be exalted, because freely the good news of God I did proclaim to you?

⁸Nilipofanya kazi kati yenu, mahitaji yangu yaligharimiwa na makanisa mengine. Kwa namna moja au nyingine niliwapokonya wao mali yao nipate kuwatumikia ninyi.

⁸other assemblies I did rob, having taken wages, for your ministration;

⁹Nilipokuwa nanyi sikumsumbua mtu yeyote nilipohitaji fedha; ndugu waliotoka Makedonia waliniletea kila kitu nilichohitaji. Nilikuwa mwangalifu sana nisiwe mzigo kwa namna yoyote ile, na nitaendelea kufanya hivyo.

⁹and being present with you, and having been in want, I was chargeable to no one, for my lack did the brethren supply — having come from Macedonia — and in everything burdenless to you I did keep myself, and will keep.

¹⁰Naahidi kwa ule ukweli wa Kristo ulio ndani yangu, kwamba hakuna kitakachoweza kunizuia kujivunia jambo hilo popote katika Akaya.

¹⁰The truth of Christ is in me, because this boasting shall not be stopped in regard to me in the regions of Achaia;

¹¹Kwa nini nasema hivyo? Kwa sababu eti siwapendi ninyi? Mungu anajua kwamba nawapenda!

¹¹wherefore? because I do not love you? God hath known!

¹²Nitaendelea kufanya kama ninavyofanya sasa, ili nisiwape nafasi wale wanaotafuta nafasi, nafasi ya kujivuna kwamba eti wanafanya kazi kama sisi.

¹²and what I do, I also will do, that I may cut off the occasion of those wishing an occasion, that in that which they boast they may be found according as we also;

¹³Maana, hao ni mitume wa uongo, wafanyakazi wadanganyifu wanojisingizia kuwa mitume wa Kristo.

¹³for those such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ,

¹⁴Wala si ajabu, maana hata Shetani mwenyewe hujisingizia kuwa malaika wa mwanga!

¹⁴and no wonder — for even the Adversary doth transform himself into a messenger of light;

¹⁵Kwa hiyo si jambo la kushangaza ikiwa na hao watumishi wake wanajisingizia kuwa watumishi wa haki. Mwisho wao watapata kile wanachostahili kufuatana na matendo yao.

¹⁵no great thing, then, if also his ministrants do transform themselves as ministrants of righteousness — whose end shall be according to their works.

¹⁶Tena nasema: Mtu asinifikirie kuwa mpumbavu. Lakini kama mkifikiri hivyo, basi, nichukueni kama mpumbavu ili nami nipate kuwa na cha kujivunia angaa kidogo.

¹⁶Again I say, may no one think me to be a fool; and if otherwise, even as a fool receive me, that I also a little may boast.

¹⁷Ninachosema sasa si kile alichoniagiza Bwana; kuhusu jambo hili la kujivuna, nasema tu kama mtu mpumbavu.

¹⁷That which I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this the confidence of boasting;

¹⁸Maadam wengi hujivuna kwa sababu za kidunia, nami pia nitajivuna.

¹⁸since many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast:

¹⁹Ninyi ni wenye busara, ndiyo maana hata mnawavumilia wapumbavu!

¹⁹for gladly do ye bear with the fools — being wise,

²⁰Mnamvumilia hata mtu anayewafanya ninyi watumwa, mtu mwenye kuwanyonya, mwenye kuwakandamiza, mwenye kuwadharau na kuwapiga usoni!

²⁰for ye bear, if any one is bringing you under bondage, if any one doth devour, if any one doth take away, if any one doth exalt himself, if any one on the face doth smite you;

²¹Kwa aibu nakubali kwamba sisi tulikuwa dhaifu. Iwe iwavyo, lakini kama kuna mtu yeyote anayethubutu kujivunia kitu--nasema kama mtu mpumbavu--mimi nathubutu pia.

²¹in reference to dishonour I speak, how that we were weak, and in whatever any one is bold — in foolishness I say [it] — I also am bold.

²²Je, wao ni Waebrania? Hata mimi. Je, wao ni Waisraeli? Hata mimi. Wao ni wazawa wa Abrahamu? Hata mimi.

²²Hebrews are they? I also! Israelites are they? I also! seed of Abraham are they? I also!

²³Wao ni watumishi wa Kristo? Hata mimi--nanena hayo kiwazimu--ni mtumishi wa Kristo zaidi kuliko wao. Mimi nimefanya kazi ngumu zaidi, nimekaa gerezani mara nyingi zaidi, nimepigwa mara nyingi zaidi na nimekaribia kifo mara nyingi.

²³ministrants of Christ are they? — as beside myself I speak — I more; in labours more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths many times;

²⁴Mara tano nilichapwa vile viboko thelathini na tisa vya Wayahudi.

²⁴from Jews five times forty [stripes] save one I did receive;

²⁵Nilipigwa viboko mara tatu, nilipigwa mawe mara moja; mara tatu nilivunjikiwa meli baharini, na humo nikakesha usiku kucha na kushinda mchana kutwa.

²⁵thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;

²⁶Kila mara safarini nimekabiliwa na hatari za mafuriko ya mito, na hatari za wanyama; hatari kutoka kwa wananchi wenzangu na kutoka kwa watu wa mataifa mengine; hatari za mjini, hatari za porini, hatari za baharini, hatari kutoka kwa ndugu wa uongo

²⁶journeyings many times, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from kindred, perils from nations, perils in city, perils in wilderness, perils in sea, perils among false brethren;

²⁷Nimefanya kazi na kutaabika, nimekesha bila usingizi mara nyingi; nimekuwa na njaa na kiu; mara nyingi nimefunga na kukaa katika baridi bila nguo.

²⁷in laboriousness and painfulness, in watchings many times, in hunger and thirst, in fastings many times, in cold and nakedness;

²⁸Na, licha ya mengine mengi, kila siku nakabiliwa na shughuli za makanisa yote.

²⁸apart from the things without — the crowding upon me that is daily — the care of all the assemblies.

²⁹Kama mtu yeyote ni dhaifu, nami pia ni dhaifu; mtu yeyote akikwazwa, nami pia huwa na wasiwasi.

²⁹Who is infirm, and I am not infirm? who is stumbled, and I am not fired;

³⁰Ikinilazimu kujivuna, basi, nitajivunia udhaifu wangu.

³⁰if to boast it behoveth [me], of the things of my infirmity I will boast;

³¹Mungu na Baba wa Bwana Yesu--jina lake litukuzwe milele--yeye anajua kwamba sisemi uongo.

³¹the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ — who is blessed to the ages — hath known that I do not lie! —

³²Nilipokuwa Damasko, mkuu wa mkoa, aliyekuwa chini ya mfalme Areta, alikuwa akiulinda mji wa Damasko ili apate kunikamata.

³²In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king was watching the city of the Damascenes, wishing to seize me,

³³Lakini, ndani ya kapu kubwa, niliteremshwa nje kupitia katika nafasi ukutani, nikachopoka mikononi mwake.

³³and through a window in a rope basket I was let down, through the wall, and fled out of his hands.