2 Korintus 5:20--6:10

5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea ¹  through us. We plead with you ²  on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” 5:21 God ³  made the one who did not know sin ⁴  to be sin for us, so that in him ⁵  we would become the righteousness of God.

God’s Suffering Servants

6:1 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ⁶  6:2 For he says, “I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” ⁷  Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 6:3 We do not give anyone ⁸  an occasion for taking an offense in anything, ⁹  so that no fault may be found with our ministry. 6:4 But as God’s servants, ¹⁰  we have commended ourselves in every way, ¹¹  with great endurance, in persecutions, ¹²  in difficulties, in distresses, 6:5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, ¹³  in troubles, ¹⁴  in sleepless nights, in hunger, 6:6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, ¹⁵  by genuine ¹⁶  love, 6:7 by truthful ¹⁷  teaching, ¹⁸  by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, ¹⁹  6:8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, ²⁰  and yet true; 6:9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged ²¹  and yet not executed; 6:10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

[5:20]  ¹ tn Or “as though God were begging.”

[5:20]  ² tn Or “we beg you.”

[5:21]  ³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ⁴ sn The one who did not know sin is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[5:21]  ⁵ sn That is, “in Christ.”

[6:1]  ⁶ tn Or “receive the grace of God uselessly.”

[6:2]  ⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 49:8.

[6:3]  ⁸ tn The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[6:3]  ⁹ tn Other interpretations of the first part of 2 Cor 6:3 are possible. The phrase could also mean, “not putting an obstacle in the way of anyone” (L&N 22.14), or “giving no one in anything a cause to sin” (L&N 88.307).

[6:4]  ¹⁰ tn Or “ministers.”

[6:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”

[6:4]  ¹² tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”

[6:5]  ¹³ tn Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).

[6:5]  ¹⁴ tn Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.

[6:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “by holiness of spirit.”

[6:6]  ¹⁶ tn Or “sincere.”

[6:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alhqeias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).

[6:7]  ¹⁸ tn Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.

[6:7]  ¹⁹ tn The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).

[6:8]  ²⁰ tn Or “regarded as deceivers.”

[6:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).