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 3:3

3:3 revealing ³  that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, ⁴  written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets ⁵  but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 4:2

4:2 But we have rejected ⁶  shameful hidden deeds, ⁷  not behaving ⁸  with deceptiveness ⁹  or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.

2 Corinthians 4:6

4:6 For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” ¹⁰  is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge ¹¹  of God in the face of Christ. ¹² 

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 ¹³  the message of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 6:16

6:16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are ¹⁴  the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will live in them ¹⁵  and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” ¹⁶ 

2 Corinthians 9:13

9:13 Through the evidence ¹⁷  of this service ¹⁸  they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing ¹⁹  with them and with everyone.

2 Corinthians 12:2

12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:9

12:9 But ²⁰  he said to me, “My grace is enough ²¹  for you, for my ²²  power is made perfect ²³  in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly ²⁴  about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in ²⁵  me.

2 Corinthians 13:2

13:2 I said before when I was present the second time and now, though absent, I say again to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare anyone, ²⁶ 

[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.”

[3:3]  ³ tn Or “making plain.”

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Grk “cared for by us,” an expression that could refer either to the writing or the delivery of the letter (BDAG 229 s.v. διακονέω 1). Since the following phrase refers to the writing of the letter, and since the previous verse speaks of this “letter” being “written on our [Paul’s and his companions’] hearts” it is more probable that the phrase “cared for by us” refers to the delivery of the letter (in the person of Paul and his companions).

[3:3]  ⁵ sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.

[4:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Grk “the hidden things [deeds] of shame”; here αἰσχύνης (aiscunh") has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:2]  ⁷ tn Or “not conducting ourselves”; Grk “not walking” (a common NT idiom for conduct, way of life, or behavior).

[4:2]  ⁸ tn Or “craftiness.”

[4:6]  ⁷ sn An allusion to Gen 1:3; see also Isa 9:2.

[4:6]  ⁸ tn Grk “the light of the knowledge of the glory”; δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:6]  ⁹ tc ‡ Most witnesses, including several early and important ones (Ì⁴⁶ א C H Ψ 0209 1739^c Ï sy), read ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Ihsou Cristou, “Jesus Christ”), while other important witnesses, especially of the Western text (D F G 0243 630 1739* 1881 lat Ambst), have Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ. The reading with just Χριστοῦ is found in A B 33 {sa} Tert {Or Ath Chr}. Even though the witnesses for the shorter reading are not numerous, they are weighty. And in light of the natural scribal proclivity to fill out the text, particularly with reference to divine names, as well as the discrepancy among the witnesses as to the order of the names, the simple reading Χριστοῦ seems to be the best candidate for authenticity. NA²⁷ reads ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ with ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:19]  ⁹ tn Or “he has entrusted to us.”

[6:16]  ¹¹ 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.

[6:16]  ¹² tn Or “live among them,” “live with them.”

[6:16]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Lev 26:12; also similar to Jer 32:38; Ezek 37:27.

[9:13]  ¹³ tn Or “proof,” or perhaps “testing” (NRSV).

[9:13]  ¹⁴ tn Or “ministry.”

[9:13]  ¹⁵ tn Or “your partnership”; Grk “your fellowship.”

[12:9]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.

[12:9]  ¹⁶ tn Or “is sufficient.”

[12:9]  ¹⁷ tc 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.

[12:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”

[12:9]  ¹⁹ tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.

[12:9]  ²⁰ tn Or “may rest on.”

[13:2]  ¹⁷ tn The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text but is implied.