2 Corinthians 7:8

7:8 For even if I made you sad¹ by my letter,² I do not regret having written it³ (even though I did regret it,⁴ for⁵ I see that my letter made you sad,⁶ though only for a short time).

2 Corinthians 7:11

7:11 For see what this very thing, this sadness⁷ as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves,⁸ what indignation,⁹ what alarm, what longing, what deep concern,¹⁰ what punishment!¹¹ In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

2 Corinthians 8:7

8:7 But as you excel¹² in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you¹³ – make sure that you excel¹⁴ in this act of kindness¹⁵ too.

2 Corinthians 9:5

9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution¹⁶ you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift¹⁷ and not as something you feel forced to do.¹⁸

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you¹⁹ personally²⁰ by the meekness and gentleness²¹ of Christ (I who am meek²² when present among²³ you, but am full of courage²⁴ toward you when away!) –

2 Corinthians 11:9

11:9 When²⁵ I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs.²⁶ I²⁷ kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

2 Corinthians 12:13

12:13 For how²⁸ were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

2 Corinthians 13:7

13:7 Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test,²⁹ but so that you may do what is right³⁰ even if we may appear to have failed the test.³¹

2 Corinthians 13:10

13:10 Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive³² I may not have to deal harshly with you³³ by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

¹tn Grk “if I grieved you.”

²sn My letter. Paul is referring to the “severe” letter mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4.

³tn Grk “I do not regret”; direct objects in Greek must often be supplied from the context. Here one could simply supply “it,” but since Paul is referring to the effects of his previous letter, clarity is improved if “having written it” is supplied.

⁴tn Grk “I did regret”; the direct object “it” must be supplied from the context.

⁵tc A few important mss (Ì^46c B D* it sa) lack γάρ (gar, “for”), while the majority of witnesses have it (א C D¹ F G Ψ 0243 33 1739 1881 Ï sy bo). Even though Ì^46* omits γάρ, it has the same sense (viz., a subordinate clause) because it reads the participle βλέπων (blepwn, “seeing”; the Vulgate does the same). A decision is difficult because although the overwhelming external evidence is on the side of the conjunction, the lack of γάρ is a significantly harder reading, for the whole clause is something of an anacoluthon. Without the conjunction, the sentence reads more harshly. This would fit with Paul’s “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 435) that is found especially in 2 Corinthians and Galatians. However, the mss that omit the conjunction are prone to such tendencies at times. In this instance, the conjunction should probably stand.

⁶tn Grk “my letter grieved you.”

⁷tn Grk “this very thing, to be grieved.”

⁸tn The words “of yourselves” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

⁹sn What indignation refers to the Corinthians’ indignation at the offender.

¹⁰tn Or “what zeal.”

¹¹sn That is, punishment for the offender.

¹³tn Grk “as you abound.”

¹⁴tc The reading “the love from us that is in you” is very difficult in this context, for Paul is here enumerating the Corinthians’ attributes: How is it possible for them to excel “in the love from us that is in you”? Most likely, because of this difficulty, several early scribes, as well as most later ones (א C D F G Ψ [33] Ï lat), altered the text to read “your love for us” (so NIV; Grk ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπῃ [ex Jumwn en Jhmin agaph]). The reading ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀγάπῃ (ex Jhmwn en Jumin agaph) is found, however, in excellent and early witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ B 0243 6 104 630 1175 1739 1881 co). As the harder reading it explains the rise of the other reading. What, then, is the force of “in the love from us that is in you”? Most likely, Paul is commending the Corinthians for excelling in deriving some inspiration from the apostles’ love for them.

¹⁵tn Grk “you abound.”

¹⁶tn Grk “this grace.”

¹⁹tn Grk “the blessing.”

²⁰tn Grk “a blessing.”

²¹tn Grk “as a covetousness”; that is, a gift given grudgingly or under compulsion.

²⁵tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

²⁶tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

²⁷tn 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.”

²⁸tn Or “who lack confidence.”

²⁹tn Or “when face to face with.”

³⁰tn Or “but bold.”

³¹tn Grk “you, and when.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.

³²tn If the participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") is taken as temporal rather than adjectival, the translation would be, “for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, fully supplied my needs” (similar to NASB).

³³tn Grk “needs, and I kept.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.

³⁷tn Grk “For in what respect.”

⁴³tn Or “that we may appear to be approved.”

⁴⁴tn Or “what is good.”

⁴⁵tn Or “even if we appear disapproved.”

⁴⁹tn 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.”

⁵⁰tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.