2 Corinthians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul,¹ an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth,² with all the saints who are in all Achaia.³

2 Corinthians 1:8

1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,⁴ regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,⁵ that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

2 Corinthians 1:17

1:17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I?⁶ Or do I make my plans⁷ according to mere human standards⁸ so that I would be saying⁹ both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

2 Corinthians 2:3-4

2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you,¹⁰ so that when I came¹¹ I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours. 2:4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.¹²

2 Corinthians 5:4

5:4 For we groan while we are in this tent,¹³ since we are weighed down,¹⁴ because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:19

5:19 In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us¹⁵ the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 7:7

7:7 We were encouraged¹⁶ not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement¹⁷ you gave¹⁸ him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning,¹⁹ your deep concern²⁰ for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever.

2 Corinthians 7:12

7:12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf²¹ before God.

2 Corinthians 7:14

7:14 For if I have boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you,²² but just as everything we said to you was true,²³ so our boasting to Titus about you²⁴ has proved true as well.

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you²⁵ personally²⁶ by the meekness and gentleness²⁷ of Christ (I who am meek²⁸ when present among²⁹ you, but am full of courage³⁰ toward you when away!) –

2 Corinthians 10:12

Paul’s Mission

10:12 For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.³¹

2 Corinthians 11:3

11:3 But I am afraid that³² just as the serpent³³ deceived Eve by his treachery,³⁴ your minds may be led astray³⁵ from a sincere and pure³⁶ devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:9

12:9 But³⁷ he said to me, “My grace is enough³⁸ for you, for my³⁹ power is made perfect⁴⁰ in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly⁴¹ about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in⁴² me.

2 Corinthians 12:14

12:14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have⁴³ to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

2 Corinthians 13:10

13:10 Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive⁴⁴ I may not have to deal harshly with you⁴⁵ by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

¹tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

²map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.

³tn Or “are throughout Achaia.”

⁴tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1., where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

⁵tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

⁷tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer. This is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question “did I?” at the end of the sentence.

⁸tn Grk “the things that I plan, do I plan (them).”

⁹tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

¹⁰tn Grk “so that with me there should be.”

¹⁰tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

¹¹sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.

¹³tn Or “the love that I have in great measure for you.”

¹⁶sn See the note in 5:1 on the phrase the tent we live in.

¹⁷tn Or “we are burdened.”

¹⁹tn Or “he has entrusted to us.”

²²tn Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the phrase “We were encouraged.”

²³tn Or “comfort,” “consolation.”

²⁴tn Grk “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you.” The passive construction was translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the repeated word “encouraged” was replaced in the translation by “gave” to avoid redundancy in the translation.

²⁵tn Or “your grieving,” “your deep sorrow.”

²⁶tn Or “your zeal.”

²⁵tn Grk “but in order that your eagerness on our behalf might be revealed to you.”

²⁸tn Grk “I have not been put to shame”; the words “by you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

²⁹tn Grk “just as we spoke everything to you in truth.”

³⁰tn The words “about you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

³¹tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

³²tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

³³tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prauth" and ejpieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”

³⁴tn Or “who lack confidence.”

³⁵tn Or “when face to face with.”

³⁶tn Or “but bold.”

³⁴tn Or “they are unintelligent.”

³⁷tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”

³⁸tn Or “the snake.”

³⁹tn Or “craftiness.”

⁴⁰tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”

⁴¹tc Although most mss (א² H Ψ 0121 0243 1739 1881 Ï) lack “and pure” (καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος, kai th" Jagnothto"; Grk “and purity”) several important and early witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* B D^[2] F G 33 81 104 pc ar r co) retain these words. Their presence in such mss across such a wide geographical distribution argues for their authenticity. The omission from the majority of mss can be explained by haplography, since the -τητος ending of ἁγνότητος is identical to the ending of ἁπλότητος (Japlothto", “sincerity”) three words back (ἁπλότητος καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος); further, since the meanings of “sincerity” and “purity” are similar they might seem redundant. A copyist would scarcely notice the omission because Paul’s statement still makes sense without “and from purity.”

⁴⁰tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.

⁴¹tn Or “is sufficient.”

⁴²tc The majority of later mss (א² A^c D¹ Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï) as well as some versional witnesses include the pronoun “my” here, but the omission of the pronoun has excellent external support (Ì^46vid א* A* B D* F G latt). Scribes probably added the pronoun for clarity, making the obvious referent explicit. This would also make “power” more parallel with “my grace.” Though the original text probably did not include “my,” scribes who added the word were following the sense of Paul’s statement.

⁴³tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”

⁴⁴tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.

⁴⁵tn Or “may rest on.”

⁴³tn Grk “children ought not,” but this might give the impression that children are not supposed to support sick or aging parents in need of help. That is not what Paul is saying. His point is that children should not have to pay their parent’s way.

⁴⁶tn Grk “when I am present,” but in the context of Paul’s third (upcoming) visit to Corinth, this is better translated as “when I arrive.”

⁴⁷tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.