2 Corinthians 1:9

1:9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, ¹  so that we would not trust in ourselves ²  but in God who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 2:3

2:3 And I wrote this very thing to you, ³  so that when I came ⁴  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 Corinthians 3:7

The Greater Glory of the Spirit’s Ministry

3:7 But if the ministry that produced death – carved in letters on stone tablets ⁵  – came with glory, so that the Israelites ⁶  could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face ⁷  (a glory ⁸  which was made ineffective), ⁹ 

2 Corinthians 3:14

3:14 But their minds were closed. ¹⁰  For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. ¹¹  It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹² 

2 Corinthians 4:2

4:2 But we have rejected ¹³  shameful hidden deeds, ¹⁴  not behaving ¹⁵  with deceptiveness ¹⁶  or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

4:4 among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe ¹⁷  so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel ¹⁸  of Christ, ¹⁹  who is the image of God.

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 us ²⁰  the message of reconciliation.

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 contribution ²¹  you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift ²²  and not as something you feel forced to do. ²³ 

2 Corinthians 11:3

11:3 But I am afraid that ²⁴  just as the serpent ²⁵  deceived Eve by his treachery, ²⁶  your minds may be led astray ²⁷  from a sincere and pure ²⁸  devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 12:6

12:6 For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling ²⁹  the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard ³⁰  me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me,

2 Corinthians 12:13

12:13 For how ³¹  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, ³²  but so that you may do what is right ³³  even if we may appear to have failed the test. ³⁴ 

2 Corinthians 13:10

13:10 Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive ³⁵  I may not have to deal harshly with you ³⁶  by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

[1:9]  ¹ tn Grk “we ourselves had the sentence of death within ourselves.” Here ἀπόκριμα (apokrima) is being used figuratively; no actual official verdict had been given, but in light of all the difficulties that Paul and his colleagues had suffered, it seemed to them as though such an official verdict had been rendered against them (L&N 56.26).

[1:9]  ² tn Or “might not put confidence in ourselves.”

[2:3]  ³ tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[2:3]  ⁴ sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.

[3:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “on stones”; but since this is clearly an allusion to the tablets of the Decalogue (see 2 Cor 3:3) the word “tablets” was supplied in the translation to make the connection clear.

[3:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “so that the sons of Israel.”

[3:7]  ⁷ sn The glory of his face. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai with the tablets of the Decalogue, the people were afraid to approach him because his face was so radiant (Exod 34:29-30).

[3:7]  ⁸ tn The words “a glory” are not in the Greek text, but the reference to “glory” has been repeated from the previous clause for clarity.

[3:7]  ⁹ tn Or “which was transitory.” Traditionally this phrase is translated as “which was fading away.” The verb καταργέω in the corpus Paulinum uniformly has the meaning “to render inoperative, ineffective”; the same nuance is appropriate here. The glory of Moses’ face was rendered ineffective by the veil Moses wore. For discussion of the meaning of this verb in this context, see S. J. Hafemann, Paul, Moses, and the History of Israel (WUNT 81), 301-13. A similar translation has been adopted in the two other occurrences of the verb in this paragraph in vv. 11 and 13.

[3:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “their minds were hardened.”

[3:14]  ⁸ tn Grk “the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant”; the phrase “they hear” has been introduced (“when they hear the old covenant read”) to make the link with the “Israelites” (v. 13) whose minds were closed (v. 14a) more obvious to the reader.

[3:14]  ⁹ tn Or “only in Christ is it eliminated.”

[4:2]  ⁹ tn L&N 13.156; the word can also mean “to assert opposition to,” thus here “we have denounced” (L&N 33.220).

[4:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the hidden things [deeds] of shame”; here αἰσχύνης (aiscunh") has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “not conducting ourselves”; Grk “not walking” (a common NT idiom for conduct, way of life, or behavior).

[4:2]  ¹² tn Or “craftiness.”

[4:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “of unbelievers.”

[4:4]  ¹² tn Grk “the gospel of the glory”; δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:4]  ¹³ tn Or “so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ would not be evident to them” (L&N 28.37).

[5:19]  ¹³ tn Or “he has entrusted to us.”

[9:5]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the blessing.”

[9:5]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “a blessing.”

[9:5]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “as a covetousness”; that is, a gift given grudgingly or under compulsion.

[11:3]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”

[11:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the snake.”

[11:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “craftiness.”

[11:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”

[11:3]  ²¹ tc 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.”

[12:6]  ¹⁹ tn Or “speaking.”

[12:6]  ²⁰ tn Or “may think of.”

[12:13]  ²¹ tn Grk “For in what respect.”

[13:7]  ²³ tn Or “that we may appear to be approved.”

[13:7]  ²⁴ tn Or “what is good.”

[13:7]  ²⁵ tn Or “even if we appear disapproved.”

[13:10]  ²⁵ tn 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.”

[13:10]  ²⁶ tn The words “with you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.