2 Corinthians 3:3

3:3 revealing ¹  that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, ²  written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets ³  but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Corinthians 4:2

4:2 But we have rejected ⁴  shameful hidden deeds, ⁵  not behaving ⁶  with deceptiveness ⁷  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,” ⁸  is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge ⁹  of God in the face of Christ. ¹⁰ 

2 Corinthians 5:10

5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ¹¹  so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil. 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 8:7

8:7 But as you excel ¹⁴  in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you ¹⁵  – make sure that you excel ¹⁶  in this act of kindness ¹⁷  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 contribution ¹⁸  you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift ¹⁹  and not as something you feel forced to do. ²⁰ 

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. ²¹ 

2 Corinthians 10:15

10:15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits ²²  in the work ²³  done by others, but we hope ²⁴  that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded ²⁵  among you according to our limits, ²⁶ 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4

11:3 But I am afraid that ²⁷  just as the serpent ²⁸  deceived Eve by his treachery, ²⁹  your minds may be led astray ³⁰  from a sincere and pure ³¹  devotion to Christ. 11:4 For if someone comes and proclaims ³²  another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed, ³³  or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received, ³⁴  or a different gospel than the one you accepted, ³⁵  you put up with it well enough! ³⁶ 

[3:3]  ¹ tn Or “making plain.”

[3:3]  ² 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]  ³ sn An allusion to Exod 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deut 9:10-11.

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

[4:2]  ⁶ tn Or “not conducting ourselves”; Grk “not walking” (a common NT idiom for conduct, way of life, or behavior).

[4:2]  ⁷ 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.

[5:10]  ¹⁰ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a common item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city. Use of the term in reference to Christ’s judgment would be familiar to Paul’s 1st century readers.

[5:10]  ¹¹ tn Or “whether good or bad.”

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

[8:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “as you abound.”

[8:7]  ¹⁷ tc 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.

[8:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “you abound.”

[8:7]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “this grace.”

[9:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the blessing.”

[9:5]  ²⁰ tn Grk “a blessing.”

[9:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “as a covetousness”; that is, a gift given grudgingly or under compulsion.

[10:12]  ²² tn Or “they are unintelligent.”

[10:15]  ²⁵ tn Or “boast excessively.” The phrase εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα (ei" ta ametra) is an idiom; literally it means “into that which is not measured,” that is, a point on a scale that goes beyond what might be expected (L&N 78.27).

[10:15]  ²⁶ tn Or “in the labors.”

[10:15]  ²⁷ tn Grk “but we have the hope.”

[10:15]  ²⁸ tn Or “greatly enlarged.”

[10:15]  ²⁹ tn That is, Paul’s work might be greatly expanded within the area of activity assigned to him by God.

[11:3]  ²⁸ tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”

[11:3]  ²⁹ tn Or “the snake.”

[11:3]  ³⁰ tn Or “craftiness.”

[11:3]  ³¹ tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”

[11:3]  ³² 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.”

[11:4]  ³¹ tn Or “preaches.”

[11:4]  ³² tn Grk “another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed.”

[11:4]  ³³ tn Grk “a different spirit which you did not receive.”

[11:4]  ³⁴ tn Grk “a different gospel which you did not accept.”

[11:4]  ³⁵ tn Or “you endure it very well.”