I know what it’s like not to have the things I need, and I know what it’s like to have more than I need. I’ve learned the secret of being content in any circumstances. I’m content whether I’m well fed or hungry, whether I have more than enough or I don’t have enough.
You know that I’ve been treated badly and suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—how badly I was treated there. But the Lord saved me from all my troubles.
Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over to their side. They threw stones at Paul and then dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.
In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you or takes advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you, and even with those who slap you in the face.