2 Korintus 5:20

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!”

2 Korintus 6:1

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. ³ 

2 Korintus 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ⁴  personally ⁵  by the meekness and gentleness ⁶  of Christ (I who am meek ⁷  when present among ⁸  you, but am full of courage ⁹  toward you when away!) –

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

[5:20]  ² tn Or “we beg you.”

[6:1]  ³ tn Or “receive the grace of God uselessly.”

[10:1]  ⁴ tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

[10:1]  ⁵ tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

[10:1]  ⁶ tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prauth" and ejpieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”

[10:1]  ⁷ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

[10:1]  ⁸ tn Or “when face to face with.”

[10:1]  ⁹ tn Or “but bold.”