³⁰rIf I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ³¹sThe God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the who is blessed forever, uknows that I am not lying. ³²At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas vwas guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, ³³wbut I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

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Paul's Visions and His Thorn

¹I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and xrevelations of the Lord. ²I know a man yin Christ who fourteen years ago was zcaught up to athe third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows. ³And I know that this man was caught up into cparadise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows— ⁴and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ⁵On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, dexcept of my weaknesses— ⁶though if I should wish to boast, eI would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷So fto keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 ga thorn was given me in the flesh, ha messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸iThree times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹But he said to me, j“My grace is sufficient for you, for kmy power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that lthe power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰mFor the sake of Christ, then, nI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For owhen I am weak, then I am strong.

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