2 Corinthians 6:4-17

6:4 But as God’s servants, ¹  we have commended ourselves in every way, ²  with great endurance, in persecutions, ³  in difficulties, in distresses, 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, ⁴  in troubles, ⁵  in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6:6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, ⁶  by genuine ⁷  love, 6:7 by truthful ⁸  teaching, ⁹  by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, ¹⁰  6:8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, ¹¹  and yet true; 6:9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged ¹²  and yet not executed; 6:10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

6:11 We have spoken freely to you, ¹³  Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you. 6:12 Our affection for you is not restricted, ¹⁴  but you are restricted in your affections for us. 6:13 Now as a fair exchange – I speak as to my ¹⁵  children – open wide your hearts to us ¹⁶  also.

Unequal Partners

6:14 Do not become partners ¹⁷  with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 6:15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? ¹⁸  Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 6:16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are ¹⁹  the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them ²⁰  and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ²¹  6:17 Therefore “come out from their midst, and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch no unclean thing, ²²  and I will welcome ²³  you, ²⁴ 

¹ tn Or “ministers.”

² tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”

³ tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”

⁴ tn Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).

⁵ tn Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.

⁶ tn Or “by holiness of spirit.”

⁷ tn Or “sincere.”

⁸ tn Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alhqeias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).

⁹ tn Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.

¹⁰ tn The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).

¹¹ tn Or “regarded as deceivers.”

¹² tn Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).

¹³ tn Grk “our mouth has been open to you,” an idiom for openness in communication.

¹⁴ tn Grk “You are not restricted by us.”

¹⁵ tn The word “my” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

¹⁶ tn The words “to us” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

¹⁷ tn Or “Do not be mismatched.”

¹⁸ sn The Greek term Βελιάρ (Beliar) is a spelling variant for Βελιάλ (Belial, see Judg 20:13 LXX). It occurs only here in the NT. Beliar is a reference to Satan.

¹⁹ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (Ì⁴⁶ א² C D² F G Ψ 0209 Ï lat sy Tert), read ὑμεῖς…ἐστε (Jumei"…este, “you are”) instead of ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν (Jhmei"…esmen, “we are”) here, but several other early and important mss (א* B D* L P 0243 6 33 81 326 365 1175 1739 1881 2464 co Cl Or) have ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν. The external evidence is somewhat in favor of the first person pronoun and verb; the internal evidence weighs in even stronger. In light of the parallel in 1 Cor 3:16, where Paul uses ἐστε (“you are the temple of God”), as well as the surrounding context here in which the second person verb or pronoun is used in vv. 14, 17, and 18, the second person reading seems obviously motivated. The first person reading can explain the rise of the other reading, but the reverse is not as easily done. Consequently, the first person reading of ἡμεῖς…ἐσμεν has all the credentials of authenticity.

²⁰ tn Or “live among them,” “live with them.”

²¹ sn A quotation from Lev 26:12; also similar to Jer 32:38; Ezek 37:27.

²² sn A quotation from Isa 52:11.

²³ tn Or “will receive.”

²⁴ sn A paraphrased quotation from Ezek 20:41.