NETBible | 1 although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became 2 little children 3 among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, |
NIV © |
but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. |
NASB © |
But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. |
NLT © |
As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother feeding and caring for her own children. |
MSG © |
We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children. |
BBE © |
But we were gentle among you, like a woman caring for her little ones: |
NRSV © |
though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. |
NKJV © |
But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. |
KJV | But <235> we were <1096> (5675) gentle <2261> among <1722> <3319> you <5216>_, even as <5613> a nurse <5162> cherisheth <302> <2282> (5725) her <1438> children <5043>_: |
NASB © |
But we proved <1096> to be gentle <2261> among <1722> <3319> you, as a nursing <5162> mother tenderly <2282> cares <2282> for her own <1438> children .<5043> |
NET [draft] ITL | although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became <1096> little children <3516> among <3319> you <5216> . Like <5613> a nursing mother <5162> caring <2282> for her own <1438> children ,<5043> |
GREEK | alla egenhyhmen en mesw umwn wv ean trofov yalph eauthv tekna |
NETBible | 1 although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became 2 little children 3 among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, |
NET Notes |
1 tn Punctuating vv. 6 and 7 is difficult. One must consider the difficult textual problem of v. 7 (see tc note on the word “children” in that verse) as well as the grammar of the verse. In the translation above, “little children” is understood to be a predicate nominative connected to the verb “became.” This allows a full stop to be placed at the end of v. 6 and before the phrase “like a nursing mother” in v. 7. This separates the two metaphors which impact the textual problem and allows for greater clarity in the way the sentence is read. 2 tn Or “were,” “proved to be.” 3 tc The variant ἤπιοι (hpioi, “gentle”) has fair support (א2 A C2 D2 Ψc 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï), but νήπιοι (nhpioi, “little children”) has significantly stronger backing (Ì65 א* B C* D* F G I Ψ* pc it bo). It is not insignificant that the earliest Alexandrian and Western witnesses in support of ἤπιοι are actually not Alexandrian or Western; they are the second correctors of Alexandrian and Western |