不认识圣经，就是不认识基督，不认识基督，就是不认识基督所建立的天主教会。
新约·格林多后书
共13章:
第一章(24)
致候辞
1:1
因天主的旨意，做基督耶稣宗徒的保禄和弟茂德兄弟，致书于格林多的天主教会和全阿哈雅的众位圣徒：
1:2
愿恩宠与平安由我们的父天主，和主耶稣基督赐给你们!
颂谢辞
1:3 愿我们的主耶稣基督的天主和父，仁慈的父和施与各种安慰的天主受赞扬，
1:4
是他在我们的各种磨难中，常安慰我们，为使我们能以自己由天主所亲受的安慰，去安慰那些在各种困难中的人。
1:5
因为基督所受的苦难，加于我们身上的越多，我们借着基督，所得的安慰也越多。
1:6
我们如果受磨难，那是为叫你们受安慰与得救；我们如果受安慰，那也是为叫你们受安慰；这安慰足以能使你们坚忍那与我所受的同样苦难。
1:7
为此，我们对你们所怀有的希望是坚定不移的，因为我们知道：你们怎样分受了痛苦，也要怎样同享安慰。
颂谢的原因
1:8
弟兄们！我们深愿你们知道，我们在亚细亚所受的磨难：我们受到了非人力所能忍受的重压，甚至连活的希望也没有了；
1:9
而且我们自己也认为必死无疑，这是为叫我们不要倚靠自己，而只倚靠那使死人复活的天主。
1:10
他由这样多的死亡危险中救援了我们，而今仍在施救，我们切望将来还要施救，
1:11
只要你们以祈祷协助我们；这样，因有许多人为我们求得恩赐，好使将来也有许多人替我们感恩。
保禄为自己的行事作辩护
保禄行事的至诚
1:12 我们认为光荣的事，就是有我们的良心作证：我们处世是本着由天主而来的直爽与真诚，并不是本着本性的智慧，而是本着天主的恩宠；对于你们尤其如此，
1:13
因为我们给你们所写的，无非是你们所能朗诵，所能了解的。我盼望你们能完全了解我们，
1:14
就如你们对我们已有了几分了解，好在我们的主耶稣的日子上，我们是你们的夸耀，而你们也是我们的夸耀。
改变计划并非轻率
1:15 怀着这种信念，我原先有意到你们那里去，为使你们获得第二次的恩惠，
1:16
并经过你们那里到马其顿，再由马其顿回到你们那里，然后由你们送我往犹太去。
1:17
那么，我怀着这种意思，难道是我行事轻浮吗﹖或者我定主意，是随情感定的，以致在我内有「是」而又「非」吗﹖
1:18
天主是忠实的！我们对你们所说的话，并不是「是」而又「非」的，
1:19
因为借我们，即借我和息耳瓦诺同弟茂德，在你们中间所宣讲的天主子耶稣基督，并不是「是」而又「非」的，在他只有一个「是」
1:20
因为天主的一切恩许，在他内都成了「是」，为此也借着他，我们才答应「阿们」，使光荣藉我们归于天主。
1:21
那坚固我们同你们在基督内的，并给我们傅油的，就是天主；
1:22
他在我们身上盖了印，并在我们心里赐下圣神作为抵押。
变更计划的原因
1:23
我指着我的性命呼号天主作证：我没有再到格林多去，是为了顾惜你们。
1:24
这并不是说：在信仰方面我们愿管制你们，而是说：我们愿作你们喜乐的合作者，因为你们在信仰上已站稳了。
保禄为自己的行事作辩护
第二章(17)
2:1 所以我拿定了主意，不再带忧苦到你们那里去，
2:2
因为如果我使你们忧苦，那么，除了那由我而受忧苦的人外，又有谁可使我欢乐呢﹖
2:3
为此，我写了那样的信，正是为避免我来到的时候，那本该叫我喜乐的，反而叫我忧苦，因为我相信你们众人都以我的喜乐为你们众人的喜乐。
2:4
我在万般的痛心忧苦中，流着许多泪给你们写了信，并不是为叫你们忧苦，而是为叫你们认清我对你们所有的爱，多么卓绝。
不幸事件的暗示
2:5 如果有人使人忧苦，他不是使我忧苦，而是使你们众人，至少使一部份，免得我说得过火。
2:6
这样的人，受了你们大多数人的谴责，已足够了；
2:7
你们宽恕劝慰他，反倒更好，免得他一时为过度的忧苦所吞噬。
2:8
为此，我劝告你们对他再建起爱情来。
2:9
其实，也正是为此我才写了那信，为要考验你们，看你们是否在一切事上都服从命令。
2:10
你们宽恕谁什么，我也宽恕，因为我所宽恕的──如果我曾宽恕过什么──是为你们的缘故，当着基督的面而宽恕的，
2:11
免得我们让撒殚占了便宜，因为我们不是不知道他的心意。
对教会的焦虑与宽心
2:12 当我为宣讲基督福音来到特洛阿时，虽然给我开了为主工作的大门，
2:13
但因我没有遇到我的弟兄弟铎，我的心神得不到安宁，遂辞别他们，到马其顿去了。
2:14
感谢天主时常使我们在基督内参与凯旋的行列，并借我们在各处播扬认识基督的芬芳；
2:15
因为我们就是献与天主的基督的馨香，在得救的人中是，在丧亡的人中也是；
2:16
但为后者，是由死入死的芬芳；为前者，却是由生入生的芬芳。对这样的工作，谁够资格呢﹖
2:17
至少我们不像许多人为利而混乱了天主的道理；我们宣讲乃是出于真诚，出于天主，当着天主的面，在基督内。
第三章(18)
保禄的荐书
3:1 我们岂又开始举荐我们自己吗﹖或者，难道我们也应像某些人一般，需要给你们递上荐书，或由你们写荐书吗﹖
3:2
你们就是我们的荐书，是写在我们心上，为众人所共知共读的，
3:3
因为明显地，你们就是我们供职所写的基督的书信：不是用墨水写的，而是以生活的天主圣神；不是写在石版上，而是在血肉的心版上。
新约的仆役
3:4 我们借着基督在天主前才敢这样自信，
3:5
但这并不是说：我们凭自己能够承担什么事，好似出于自己一般；而是说：我们所以够资格，是出于天主，
3:6
并且是他使我们能够做新约的仆役：这约并不是在于文字，而是在于神，因为文字叫人死，神却叫人活。
新约与旧约职务的比较
3:7 如果那以文字刻在石头上而属死的职务，尚且有过光荣──甚至以色列子民为了梅瑟面貌上易于消逝的光荣，不能注视他的面貌──
3:8
那么，属神的职务，岂不更该有光荣吗﹖
3:9
如果先前定罪的职务有过光荣，那么，成义的职务更该多么充满光荣!
3:10
其实，那先前有过光荣的，因了这更超越的光荣，已算不得光荣了，
3:11
因为如果那易于消逝的曾一度有过光荣，那么，这常存的更该多么有光荣!
新约的公开与自由
3:12 所以，我们既怀有这种希望，所以坦白行事，
3:13
不像梅瑟一般，将帕子蒙在脸上，免得以色列子民看到那易于消逝的光荣的终结；
3:14
但是他们的心意陷于迟钝，因为直到今天，在读旧约时，同样的帕子仍然存在，没有揭去，因为只有在基督内才得除去；
3:15
而且直到今天，几时读梅瑟时，还有帕子盖在他们的心上；
3:16
他们几时转向主，帕子就会除掉。
3:17
主就是那神；主的神在那里，那里就有自由。
3:18
我们众人以揭开的脸面反映主的光荣的，渐渐地光荣上加光荣，都变成了与主同样的肖像，正如由主，即神在我们内所完成的。
第四章(18)
宗徒的忠贞
4:1 为此，我们既蒙垂青，获得了这职务，我们决不胆怯；
4:2
反而戒绝了一切可耻的隐瞒行为，不以狡猾行事，也不变通天主的道理，只是借着显示真理，在天主前将我们自己举荐于众人的良心。
4:3
但如果说我们的福音也被蒙住了，那只是为丧亡的人蒙着，
4:4
因为今世的神已蒙蔽了这些不信者的心意，免得他们看见基督──天主的肖像──光荣福音的光明。
4:5
因为我们不是宣传我们自己，而是宣传耶稣基督为主，我们只是因耶稣的缘故作了你们的奴仆。
4:6
因为那吩咐『光从黑暗中照耀』的天主，曾经照耀在我们心中，为使我们以那在【耶稣】基督的面貌上，所闪耀的天主的光荣的知识，来光照别人。
力量来自天主
4:7 但我们是在瓦器中存有这宝贝，为彰显那卓著的力量是属于天主，并非出于我们。
4:8
我们在各方面受了磨难，却没有被困住；绝了路，却没有绝望；
4:9
被迫害，却没有被弃舍；被打倒，却没有丧亡；
4:10
身上时常带着耶稣的死状，为使耶稣的生活也彰显在我们身上。
4:11
的确，我们这些活着的人，时常为耶稣的缘故被交于死亡，为使耶稣的生活也彰显在我们有死的肉身上。
4:12
这样看来，死亡施展在我们身上，生活却施展在你们身上。
宗徒所注视的目标
4:13 但我们既然具有经上所载的：『我信了，所以我说』那同样的信心，我们也信，所以也说，
4:14
因为我们知道那使主耶稣复活的，也要使我们与耶稣一起复活，并使我们与你们一同站在他前。
4:15
其实，这一切都是为了你们，为使获得恩宠的人越增多，感谢也越增加，好归光荣于天主。
4:16
为此，我们决不胆怯，纵使我们外在的人日渐损坏，但我们内在的人却日日更新，
4:17
因为我们这现时轻微的苦难，正分外无比地给我们造就永远的光荣厚报，
4:18
因为我们并不注目那看得见的，而只注目那看不见的；那看得见的，原是暂时的；那看不见的，才是永远的。
第五章(21)
或生或死为讨主的欢心
5:1 因为我们知道：如果我们这地上帐棚式的寓所拆毁了，我们必由天主获得一所房舍，一所非人手所造，而永远在天上的寓所。
5:2
诚然，我们在此叹息，因为我们切望套上那属天上的住所，
5:3
只要我们还穿著衣服，不是赤裸的。
5:4
我们在这帐棚里的人，苦恼叹息，是由于我们不愿脱去衣服，而就套上另一层，为使这有死的为生命所吸收。
5:5
但那安排我们如此的，是天主，是他给我们赐下了圣神作抵押。
5:6
所以不论怎样，我们时常放心大胆，因为我们知道，我们几时住在这肉身内，就是与主远离──
5:7
因为我们现今只是凭信德往来，并非凭目睹──
5:8
我们放心大胆，是为更情愿出离肉身，与主同住。
5:9
为此我们或住在或出离肉身，常专心以讨主的喜悦为光荣。
5:10
因为我们众人都应出现在基督的审判台前，为使各人借他肉身所行的，或善或恶，领取相当的报应。
宗徒为自己辩护的目的
5:11 我们既然知道主的可畏，遂尽力使人相信我们；我们在主前是显明的，我也盼望在你们的良心前也是显明的。
5:12
这并不是我们又向你们举荐自己，而是为给你们一个有为我们夸耀的机会，使你们有以对付那些只凭外貌，而不凭内心夸耀的人们，
5:13
因为如果说我们是发狂，那是为了天主；如果说我们是清醒，那是为了你们。
基督的爱催迫宗徒
5:14 因为基督的爱催迫着我们，因我们曾如此断定：既然一个人替众人死了；
5:15
那么众人就都死了；他替众人死，是为使活着的人不再为自己生活，而是为替他们死而复活了的那位生活。
5:16
所以我们从今以后，不再按人的看法认识谁了；纵使我们曾按人的看法认识过基督，但如今不再这样认识他了。
5:17
所以谁若在基督内，他就是一个新受造物，旧的已成过去，看，都成了新的。
5:18
这一切都是出于天主，他曾借基督使我们与他自己和好，并将这和好的职务赐给了我们：
5:19
这就是说：天主在基督内使世界与自己和好，不再追究他们的过犯，且将和好的话放在我们的口中。
5:20
所以我们是代基督作大使了，好象是天主借着我们来劝勉世人。我们如今代基督请求你们：与天主和好罢!
5:21
因为他曾使那不认识罪的，替我们成了罪，好叫我们在他内成为天主的正义。
第六章(18)
保禄传教的表样
6:1 我们与天主合作的人，也劝你们不要白受天主的恩宠──
6:2
因为经上说：『在悦纳的时候，我俯允了你；在救恩的时日，我帮助了你。』看！如今正是悦纳的时候；看，如今正是救恩的时日──
6:3
我们在任何事上，为避免这职务受诋毁，不但没有给任何人跌倒的因由，
6:4
反而处处表现我们自己，有如天主的仆役，就是以持久的坚忍，在艰难、贫乏、困苦之中，
6:5
在拷打、监禁、暴乱之中，在劳若、不寝、不食之中，
6:6
以清廉，以明智，以容忍，以慈惠，以圣神，以无伪的爱情，
6:7
以真理的言辞，以天主的德能，以左右两手中正义的武器，
6:8
历经光荣的凌辱，恶名和美名；像是迷惑人的，却是真诚的；
6:9
像是人所不知的，却是人所共知的；像是待死的，看！我们却活着；像是受惩罚的，却没有置于死地；
6:10
像是忧苦的，却常常喜乐；像是贫困的，却使许多人富足；像是一无所有的，却无所不有。
对信友的挚爱和规劝
6:11 格林多人啊!我们的口向你们张开了，我们的心也敞开了。
6:12
你们在我们心内并不窄狭，而是你们的心肠窄狭。
6:13
为了以报还报，如今我对你们犹如对自己的孩子说：你们也敞开你们的心罢!
6:14
你们不要与不信的人共负一轭，因为正义与不法之间，那能有什么相通﹖或者，光明之于黑暗，那能有什么联系﹖
6:15
基督之于贝里雅耳，那能有什么协和﹖或者，信者与不信者，那能有什么股份﹖
6:16
天主的殿与偶像，那能有什么相合﹖的确，我们就是生活的天主的殿，正如天主所说的：『我要在他们内居住，我要在他们中徘徊；我要做他们的天主，他们要做我的百姓。』
6:17
为此，『你们应当从他们中间出来，离开他们──这是上主说的──你们不可触摸不洁之物，我要收纳你们，
6:18
我要做你们的父亲，你们要做我的子女；这是全能的上主说的。』
第七章(16)
7:1 所以，亲爱的！我们既有这些恩许，就当洁净自己，除去肉体和心灵上的一切玷污，以敬畏天主之情来成就圣德。
7:2
容纳我们罢!我们并没有侵犯过谁，没有败坏过谁，也没有占过谁的便宜。
7:3
我说这话，并不是为定你们罪，因为我以前曾说过：你们常在我们心中，甚至于同死同生。
追述弟铎带来的安慰
7:4 我对你们大可放心，我为了你们也很可夸耀；我充满了安慰，在我们各样的苦难中，我格外充满喜乐，
7:5
因为自从我们到了马其顿，我们的肉身没有得到一点安宁，反而处处遭难：外有争斗，内有恐惧。
7:6
但那安慰谦卑人的天主，以弟铎的来临安慰了我们；
7:7
不但以他的来临，而且以他由你们所得的安慰，安慰了我们，因为他把你们的切望，你们的悲痛，你们对我的热忱，都给我们报告了，致令我更加喜欢。
7:8
虽然我曾以那封信使你们忧苦了，我并不后悔，纵然我曾经后悔过──因为我看见那封信实在使你们忧苦了，虽然只是一时──
7:9
如今我却喜欢，并不是因为你们忧苦了，而是你们忧苦以致于悔改，因为你们是按照天主的圣意而忧苦的，所以没有由我们受到什么损害。
7:10
因为按照天主圣意而来的忧苦，能产生再不返悔的悔改，以致于得救；世间的忧苦却产生死亡。
7:11
且看，这种按照天主圣意而来的忧苦，在你们中产生了多大的热情，甚而辨白，而愤慨，而恐惧，而切望，而热忱，而谴责；在各方面，你们表明自己对那事件是无罪的。
7:12
因此，虽然我从前给你们写了信，却不是为了那侵犯人的，也不是为了那受侵犯的，而是为要把你们对我们的热情，在天主面前表彰出来；
7:13
为此我们得到了安慰。
分享弟铎的安慰
7:在我们受安慰之外，我们尤其因弟铎的喜乐而更加喜乐，因为他的心神由你们众人得到宽慰，
7:14 因为，我如果对弟铎夸耀过你们什么，我也不致于羞愧，因为我向他夸耀你们的话，成了真的，正如我们对你们所说的一切都是真的一样；
7:15
并且，他一想起你们众人的服从，怎样以敬畏和战栗的心情来接待他，他的心肠就越发倾向你们。
7:16
我真喜欢，因为我对你们在各方面都可以放心了！
催促捐款
第八章(24)
马其顿教会捐款的榜样
8:1 弟兄们!如今我们愿意告诉你们：天主在马其顿各教会所施与的恩惠，
8:2
就是他们在患难频繁的试探中所充满的喜乐，和他们极度的贫困所涌出的丰厚慷慨。
8:3
我可以作证：他们是尽了力量，甚至超过了力量，自动的捐输，
8:4
再三恳求我们准他们分享供应圣徒的恩惠。
8:5
他们所作的，不但如我们所盼望的，而且按照天主的旨意，把自己先奉献给主也献给了我们；
8:6
因此，我们请求弟铎，他既然开始了这慈善的事，也在你们中予以完成。
劝教友完成捐款之事
8:7 就如你们在一切事上，在信德、语言、知识和各种热情上，并在我们所交于你们的爱情上，超群出众，这样也要在这慈善事上超群出众。
8:8
我说这话并不是出命，而是借别人的热情来试验你们爱情的真诚。
8:9
因为你们知道我们的主耶稣基督的恩赐：衪本是富有的，为了你们却成了贫困的，好使你们因着他的贫困而成为富有的。
8:10
我在这事上只给你们贡献意见，因为这样更适合于你们，因为你们从去年不但已开始实行了，而且还是出于自愿。
8:11
所以如今，请完成你们所实行的事罢!好使你们怎样甘心情愿，也怎样照所有的予以完成，
8:12
因为只要有甘心情愿在，蒙受悦纳是照所有的，不是照所无的。
8:13
这不是说要使别人轻松，叫你们为难；而是说要出于均匀：
8:14
在现今的时候，你们的富裕弥补了他们的缺乏，好使他们的富裕也弥补你们的缺乏，这样就有了均匀，
8:15
正如所记载的：『多收的没有剩余，少收的也没有不足。』
通知教会弟铎与二随员所负的使命
8:16 感谢天主，把我对你们所有的同样热情赐在弟铎的心里，
8:17
因为他接受了我们的请求，而且因他更为关心，便自动地起身往你们那里去了。
8:18
同时，我也打发了一位弟兄和他同去，这人在宣讲福音上所受的赞美传遍了各教会──
8:19
不但如此，而且各教会也派定了他在这恩惠上作我们的旅伴，我们经管这事是为主的光荣，并为表现我们的好心──
8:20
我们这样防范，是为避免有人在我们所经管的这巨款上来毁谤我们，
8:21
因为我们不但在主面前关心我们的美名，而且也在人的面前。
8:22
我们还打发了一位弟兄与他们同去，我们在许多事上，屡次证验过他是热情的；如今因他对你们大有信心，当然更加热情了。
8:23
论到弟铎，他是我的同伴，为你们也是我的助手；论到我们的那两位弟兄，他们是教会的使者，是基督的光荣，
8:24
所以你们要在众教会前，向他们证实你们的爱情，和我们对你们所有的夸耀。
第九章(15)
督促信友备妥款项
9:1 其实，关于供应圣徒之事，我给你们写信原是多余的，
9:2
因为我知道你们甘心情愿做。对这事，我曾向马其顿人夸耀过你们，说阿哈雅从去年就预备好了，并且你们的热心曾激励了很多的人，
9:3
不过，我打发那几位弟兄去，好使我们在这方面所夸耀于你们的，不致于落空，好叫你们正如我所说过的，准备好了，
9:4
免得万一马其顿人与我同去，见你们没有准备好，使我们在这件事上受到羞辱，那更不用说你们了。
9:5
所以我认为必须请求那几位弟兄先到你们那里，把你们从前所应许的大量捐助先准备好，齐备的好象是出于大方，而不是出于小气。
大量捐助的善果
9:6 再一说：小量播种的，也要小量收获；大量播种的，也要大量收获。
9:7
每人照心中所酌量的捐助，不要心痛，也不要勉强，因为『天主爱乐捐的人。』
9:8
天主能丰厚地赐与你们各种恩惠，使你们在一切事上常十分充足，能多多行各种善事，
9:9
正如经上记载说：『衪博施济贫，衪的仁义永世常存。』
9:10
那供给播种者种子，而又供给食粮作吃食的，必要供给和增多你们的种子，且使你们仁义的出产增加，
9:11
叫你们事事富足，以致十分慷慨，致使人因此借着我们而产生出感谢天主的心情，
9:12
因为办这种供应的事，不但补助了圣徒的贫乏，而还可叫许多人多多感谢天主。
9:13
借着这次供应的证明，他们必要因你们而明认和服从基督的福音，和你们对他们以及众人的慷慨捐助，而光荣天主；
9:14
同时，他们也必因天主在你们身上所赐的鸿恩，而为你们祈祷，而向往你们。
9:15
感谢天主，为他莫可名言的恩赐！
护卫宗徒职权
第十章(18)
宗徒的权威
10:1 我保禄──就是那在你们中面对面时就谦卑，不在的时候就对你们胆大的──亲自借基督的温和良善劝告你们，
10:2
甚至求你们，不要叫我到你们那里时，因果敢而对你们大了胆──这种果敢，本来是我决意要对付那些，以我们为按照血肉行事的人的──
10:3
我们固然是在血肉中行事，却不是按照血肉而交战，
10:4
因为我们作战的武器，不是属于血肉的，而是凭天主有力的武器，足以攻破坚固的堡垒：攻破人的诡辩，
10:5
以及一切为反对天主的智识所树立的高寨，并掳获一切人的心意，使之服从基督；
10:6
并且我们已准备停留，及至你们完全服从时，来惩罚一切的不服从。
准备行使宗徒威权
10:7 你们看看摆在眼前的事实罢!如果有人自信是属于基督的，他自己该再想想：他怎样属于基督，我们也怎样是；
10:8
因为，即便我对我们的权柄有一点过份的夸耀──这权柄原是主所赐与，为建树，而不是为破坏你们的──我也不羞愧，
10:9
免得有人以为我好象只会借着书信来恐吓你们。
10:10
因为有人说：「他的书信的确严厉而又强硬，但他本人在时却软弱无能，言语又空洞可轻。」
10:11
这样的人该想一想：我们不在的时候，写信时在言语上是怎样，我们来到的时候，在行事上也必是这样。
行使权威并未越权
10:12
其实，我们不敢拿自己与某些举荐自己的人同列或相比，他们是以自己来度量自己，以自己来跟自己相比，这决不是明智。
10:13
我们夸耀却不越过范围，而只是按照天主所指给我们的界限范围，照这范围也一直达到你们那里。
10:14
我们并没有过于伸展自己，好象从没有到达过你们那里似的，其实，是我们先带着基督的福音，到了你们那里的；
10:15
我们并没有越过了范围，以别人的劳苦而夸耀；我们只希望因着你们信德的长进，在你们中按照指给我们的界限越发开展，
10:16
以致将福音传到你们以外的地方，但不在别人的界限内，以别人已成的事而夸耀。
10:17
『凡要夸耀的，应当因主而夸耀。』
10:18
因为不是自己举荐自己的，那人是可取的，而是天主所举荐的。
第十一章(33)
自夸的原因
11:1 巴不得你们容忍我一点狂妄!其实，你们也应容忍我，
11:2
因为我是以天主的妒爱，妒爱你们。原来我已把你们许配给一个丈夫，把你们当作贞洁的童女献给了基督。
11:3
但我很怕你们的心意受到败坏，失去那对基督所有的赤诚和贞洁，就像那蛇以狡滑诱惑了厄娃一样。
11:4
如果有人来给你们宣讲另一个耶稣，不是我们所宣讲过的；或者你们领受另一神，不是你们所领受过的；或者另一福音，不是你们所接受过的，你们竟然都容忍了，真好啊!
11:5
真实，我以为我一点也不在那些超等的宗徒以下，
11:6
纵使我拙于言词，却不拙于知识，这是我们在各方面，在各事上，对你们所表显出来的。
自夸不求报酬
11:7 难道我白白地给你们传报天主的福音，屈卑我自己为使你们高升，就有了不是吗﹖
11:8
我剥削了别的教会，取了酬资，为的是给你们服务啊!
11:9
当我在你们那里时，虽受了匮乏，却没有连累过你们一个人，因为有从马其顿来的弟兄们，补助了我的匮乏，我一向在各方面设法避免连累你们，将来还要如此。
11:10
基督的真理在我内，我敢说：我这种夸耀在阿哈雅地方是不会停止的。
11:11
为什么呢﹖因为我不爱你们吗﹖有天主知道!
11:12
我现今作的，将来还要作，为避免给与那些找机会的人一个机会，免得人看出他们在所夸耀的事上也跟我们一样，
11:13
因为这种人是假宗徒，是欺诈的工人，是冒充基督宗徒的。
11:14
这并不希奇，因为连撒殚也常冒充光明的天使；
11:15
所以倘若他的仆役也冒充正义的仆役，并不算是大事；他们的结局必与他们的行为相对等。
请原谅他的自夸
11:16 我再说：谁也不要以为我是狂妄的，若不然，你们就以我为狂妄看待罢!好叫我也稍微夸耀一下。
11:17
我在这夸耀的事上所要说的，不是按照主说的，而是如同在狂妄中说的。
11:18
既有许多人按照俗见夸耀，我也要夸耀，
11:19
因为像你们那样明智的人，竟也甘心容忍了那些狂妄的人!
11:20
因为，若有人奴役你们，若有人侵吞你们，若有人榨取你们，若有人对你们傲慢，若有人打你们的脸，你们竟然都容忍了!
11:21
我惭愧的说：在这方面好象我们太软弱了!
在工作及劳苦上的自夸
11:其实，若有人在什么事上敢夸耀──我狂妄地说：我也敢。
11:22 他们是希伯来人﹖我也是。他们是以色列人？我也是。他们是亚巴郎的苗裔﹖我也是。
11:23
他们是基督的仆役﹖我疯狂地说：我更是。论劳碌，我更多；论监禁，更频繁；论拷打，过了量；冒死亡，是常事。
11:24
被犹太人鞭打了五次，每次四十下少一下；
11:25
受扙击三次；被石击一次；遭翻船三次；在深海里度过了一日一夜，
11:26
又多次行路，遭遇江河的危险、盗贼的危险、由同族来的危险、由外邦人来的危险、城中的危险、旷野里的危险、海洋上的危险、假弟兄中的危险；
11:27
劳碌辛苦，屡不得眠；忍饥受渴，屡不得食；忍受寒冷，赤身裸体；
11:28
除了其余的事以外，还有我每日的繁务，对众教会的挂虑。
11:29
谁软弱，我不软弱呢﹖谁跌倒，我不心焦呢﹖
特别夸耀自己的软弱
11:30 若必须夸耀，我就要夸耀我软弱的事。
11:31
主耶稣的天主和父，那应受颂扬于永远的，知道我不撒谎。
11:32
我在大马士革时，阿勒达王的总督把守了大马士革人的城，要逮捕我，
11:33
而我竟被人用篮子从窗口，沿着城墙系下，逃脱了他的手。
第十二章(21)
对神视的夸耀
12:1 若必须夸耀──固然无益──我就来说说主的显现和启示。
12:2
我知道有一个在基督内的人，十四年前，被提到三层天上去──或在身内，我不知道，或在身外，我也不知道，惟天主知道──
12:3
我知道这人──或在身内，或在身外，我不知道──天主知道──
12:4
他被提到乐园里去，听到了不可言传的话，是人不能说出的。
12:5
对这样的人，我要夸耀；但为我自己，除了我的软弱外，我没有可夸耀的。
12:6
其实，即使我愿意夸耀，我也不算是狂妄，因为我说的是实话；但是我绝口不谈，免得有人估计我，超过了他在我身上所见到的，或由我所听到的。
对软弱的夸耀
12:7 免得我因那高超的启示而过于高举自己，故此在身体上给了我一根刺，就是撒殚的使者来拳击我，免得我过于高举自己。
12:8
关于这事，我曾三次求主使它脱离我；
12:9
但主对我说：「有我的恩宠为你够了，因为我的德能在软弱中才全显出来。」所以我甘心情愿夸耀我的软弱，好叫基督的德能常在我身上。
12:10
为此，我为基督的缘故，喜欢在软弱中，在凌辱中，在艰难中，在迫害中，在困苦中，因为我几时软弱，正是我有能力的时候。
保禄的自夸是出于不得已
12:11 我成了狂妄的人，那是你们逼我的。本来我该受你们的褒扬，因为纵然我不算什么，却一点也不在那些超等的宗徒以下。
12:12
宗徒的记号，也在你们中间，以各种的坚忍，借着征兆、奇迹和异能，真正实现了；
12:13
其实，除了我本人没有连累过你们这件事外，你们有什么不及别的教会之处呢﹖关于这个委屈，你们宽恕我罢!
12:14
看，这已是第三次我预备好，到你们那里去，我还是不连累你们，因为我所求的不是你们的东西，而你们自己；原来不是儿女应为父母积蓄，而是父母该为儿女积蓄。
12:15
至于我，我甘心情愿为你们的灵魂付出一切，并将我自己也完全耗尽；难道我越多爱你们，就该少得你们的爱吗﹖
12:16
是啊!我没有连累过你们，但我是出于狡猾，以诡诈榨取了你们。
12:17
在我所打发到你们那里去的人中，难道我曾借着其中的一位，占过你们的便宜吗﹖
12:18
我曾请求了弟铎，并打发了一位弟兄同去；难道弟铎占过你们的便宜吗﹖我们行动来往，不是具有一样的心神，一样的步伐吗﹖
保禄申辩的目的
12:19 到如今你们以为我是向你们申辩罢!其实，我们是在基督内当着天主的面说话；这一切，亲爱的，都是为建树你们，
12:20
因为我怕我来到的时候，见你们不合于我所想望的，你们也见我不合于你们所想望的：就是怕有争端、嫉妒、愤怒、分裂、毁谤、挑唆、自大、纷乱；
12:21
又怕我到的时候，我的天主再使我在你们前受委屈，并为那许多从前犯了罪而不悔改他们所习行的不洁、淫乱和放荡的人而恸哭。
第十三章(13)
凡不悔改者必不宽容
13:1 这是我第三次要到你们那里去。『无论什么事，凭两个或三个见证的口供，才得成立。』
13:2
我第二次在你们那里时已经说过，如今不在的时候，再预先向那些以前犯了罪的和其余的众人说：我若再来，必不宽容!
13:3
这是因为你们愿寻求基督在我内说话的证验，基督对你们并不是软弱的，相反，衪在你们中是有能力的。
13:4
他虽然由于软弱而被钉在十字架上，却由于天主的德能仍然活着；我们也是一样，虽然我们在衪内也成了软弱的，但对于你们，我们却也要由于天主的德能同衪一起活着。
13:5
你们该考查考查自己，是否仍站在信德上，你们要考验考验自己!难道你们自己认不出耶稣基督就在你们内吗﹖若不然，你们就是禁不起考验的。
13:6
但我希望你们认清我们并不是经不起考验的。
劝格林多人自行悔改
13:7 我们祈求天主，使你们不作什么恶事，并不是为显明我们是经得起考验的，而是为叫你们行善，使我们好似成为经不起考验的一般。
13:8
因为我们并不能作什么来反对真理，只能拥护真理。
13:9
因为几时我们软弱，而你们有能力，我们才喜欢；我们只求一件事：就是你们的成全。
13:10
为此，当我还未来到的时候，先写了这些，免得我来到的时候，要照主所赐给我的，那原来是为建树而不是为破坏的权柄，严厉处置你们。
最后的劝勉
13:11 此外，弟兄们!你们要喜乐，要勉力成全，要服从劝勉，要同心合意，要彼此和睦；这样，仁爱与平安的天主必与你们同在。
致候与祝福
13:12 你们要以圣吻彼此问候；这里的众圣徒都问候你们。
13:13
愿主耶稣基督的恩宠，和天主的爱情，以及圣神的相通，常与你们众人相偕。
BOOK ENDS. Seraphim, April 2009.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 1
THE SECOND LETTER
OF PAUL TO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH
INTRODUCTION
Address
and greetings. Thanksgiving
1:1 From Paul, appointed by God
to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, one of the brothers, to the
church of God at Corinth and to all the saints in the whole of Achaia.
1:2 Grace and peace
to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1:3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of
all consolation,
1:4 who comforts us
in all our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the
consolation that we have received from God ourselves.
1:5 Indeed, as the sufferings of
Christ overflow to us, so, through Christ, does our consolation overflow.
1:6 When
we are made to suffer, it is for your consolation and salvation. When, instead,
we are comforted, this should be a consolation to you, supporting you in
patiently bearing the same sufferings as we bear.
1:7 And
our hope for you is confident, since we know that, sharing our sufferings, you
will also share our consolations.
1:8 For
we should like you to realise, brothers, that the
things we had to undergo in Asia were more of a burden than we could carry, so
that we despaired of coming through alive.
1:9 Yes, we were carrying our
own death warrant with us, and it has taught us not to rely on ourselves but
only on God, who raises the dead to life.
1:10 And he saved us from dying,
as he will save us again; yes, that is our firm hope in him, that in the future
he will save us again.
1:11 You
must all join in the prayers for us: the more people there are asking for help
for us, the more will be giving thanks when it is granted to us.
I. SOME RECENT
EVENTS REVIEWED
Why Paul changed
his plans
1:12 There
is one thing we are proud of, and our conscience tells us it is true: that we
have always treated everybody, and especially you, with the reverence and
sincerity which come from God, and by the grace of God we have done this
without ulterior motives.
1:13 There
are no hidden meanings in our letters besides what you can read for yourselves
and understand.
1:14 And I hope that, although
you do not know us very well yet, you will have come to recognise,
when the day of our Lord Jesus comes, that you can be as proud of us as we are
of you.
1:15 Because
I was so sure of this, I had meant to come to you first, so that you would
benefit doubly;
1:16 staying with you before
going to Macedonia and coming back to you again on the way back from Macedonia,
for you to see me on my way to Judaea.
1:17 Do you think I was not
sure of my own intentions when I planned this? Do you really think that when I
am making my plans, my motives are ordinary human ones, and that I say Yes,
yes, and No, no, at the same time?
1:18 I swear by God's truth,
there is no Yes and No about what we say to you.
1:19 The Son of God, the
Christ Jesus that we proclaimed among you - I mean Silvanus and Timothy and I -
was never Yes and No: with him it was always Yes,
1:20 and however many the
promises God made, the Yes to them all is in him. That is why it is 'through
him' that we answer Amen to the praise of God.
1:21 Remember it is God
himself who assures us all, and you, of our standing in Christ, and has
anointed us,
1:22 marking us with his seal
and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in
our hearts.
1:23 By
my life, I call God to witness that the reason why I did not come to Corinth
after all was to spare your feelings.
1:24 We
are not dictators over your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your
happiness; in the faith you are steady enough.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 2
2:1 Well
then, I made up my mind not to pay you a second distressing visit.
2:2 I
may have hurt you, but if so I have hurt the only people who could give me any
pleasure.
2:3 I wrote as I did to make
sure that, when I came, I should not be distressed by the very people who
should have made me happy. I am sure you all know that I could never be happy
unless you were.
2:4 When
I wrote to you, in deep distress and anguish of mind, and in tears, it was not
to make you feel hurt but to let you know how much love I have for you.
2:5 Someone has been the cause
of pain; and the cause of pain not to me, but to some degree - not to overstate
it - to all of you.
2:6 The
punishment already imposed by the majority on the man in question is enough;
2:7 and the best thing now is to give him your forgiveness and encouragement, or he
might break down from so much misery.
2:8 So
I am asking you to give some definite proof of your love for him.
2:9 What
I really wrote for, after all, was to test you and see whether you are
completely obedient.
2:10 Anybody
that you forgive, I forgive; and as for my forgiving anything - if there has
been anything to be forgiven, I have forgiven it for your sake in the presence
of Christ.
2:11 And
so we will not be outwitted by Satan - we know well enough what his intentions
are.
From
Troas to Macedonia. The apostolate: its importance
2:12 When I went up to Troas
to preach the Good News of Christ, and the door was wide open for my work there
in the Lord,
2:13 I was so continually
uneasy in mind at not meeting brother Titus there, I said
good-bye to them and went on to Macedonia.
2:14 Thanks be to God who,
wherever he goes, makes us, in Christ, partners of his triumph,[*a] and through us is spreading the knowledge of himself,
like a sweet smell, everywhere.
2:15 We
are Christ's incense to God for those who are being saved and for those who are
not;
2:16 for the last, the smell
of death that leads to death, for the first the sweet smell of life that leads
to life. And who could be qualified for work like this?
2:17 At least we do not go
round offering the word of God for sale, as many other people do. In Christ, we
speak as men of sincerity, as envoys of God and in God's presence.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 3
3:1 Does
this sound like a new attempt to commend ourselves to you? Unlike other people,
we need no letters of recommendation either to you or from you,
3:2 because you are yourselves
our letter, written in our hearts, that anybody can see and read,
3:3 and it is plain that you
are a letter from Christ, drawn up by us, and written not with ink but with the
Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on the tablets of your
living hearts.
3:4 Before God, we are confident
of this through Christ:
3:5 not that we are qualified
in ourselves to claim anything as our own work: all our qualifications come
from God.
3:6 He is the one who has
given us the qualifications to be the administrators of this new covenant,
which is not a covenant of written letters but of the Spirit: the written
letters bring death, but the Spirit gives life.
3:7 Now if the administering
of death, in the written letters engraved on stones, was accompanied by such a
brightness that the Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses,
though it was a brightness that faded,
3:8 then how much greater will
be the brightness that surrounds the administering of the Spirit!
3:9 For
if there was any splendour in administering
condemnation, there must be very much greater splendour
in administering justification.
3:10 In fact, compared with
this greater splendour, the thing that used to have
such splendour now seems to have none;
3:11 and if what was so
temporary had any splendour, there must be much more
in what is going to last for ever.
3:12 Having
this hope, we can be quite confident;
3:13 not like Moses, who put a
veil over his face so that the Israelites would not notice the ending of what
had to fade.[*a]
3:14 And anyway, their minds
had been dulled; indeed, to this very day, that same veil is still there when
the old covenant is being read, a veil never lifted, since Christ alone can
remove it.
3:15 Yes, even today, whenever
Moses is read, the veil is over their minds.
3:16 It
will not be removed until they turn to the Lord.
3:17 Now
this Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
3:18 And we, with our unveiled
faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, all grow brighter and
brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of
the Lord who is Spirit.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 4
4:1 Since
we have by an act of mercy been entrusted with this work of administration,
there is no weakening on our part.
4:2 On the contrary, we will
have none of the reticence of those who are ashamed, no deceitfulness or
watering down the word of God; but the way we commend ourselves to every human
being with a conscience is by stating the truth openly in the sight of God.
4:3 If
our gospel does not penetrate the veil, then the veil is on those who are not
on the way to salvation;
4:4 the unbelievers whose
minds the god of this world has blinded, to stop them seeing the light shed by
the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
4:5 For
it is not ourselves that we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and
ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
4:6 It is the same God that
said, 'Let there be light shining out of darkness', who has shone in our minds
to radiate the light of the knowledge of God's glory, the glory on the face of
Christ.
The trials and
hopes of the apostolate
4:7 We
are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that
such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us.
4:8 We
are in difficulties on all sides, but never cornered; we see no answer to our
problems, but never despair;
4:9 we have been persecuted,
but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed;
4:10 always, wherever we may
be, we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus,
too, may always be seen in our body.
4:11 Indeed, while we are
still alive, we are consigned to our death every day, for the sake of Jesus, so
that in our mortal flesh the life of Jesus, too, may be openly shown.
4:12 So
death is at work in us, but life in you.
4:13 But as we have the same
spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture - I believed, and therefore I spoke[*a] - we too believe and therefore we too speak,
4:14 knowing that he who
raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us
by his side and you with us.
4:15 You
see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among
people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.
4:16 That
is why there is no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer man of
ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is renewed day by day.
4:17 Yes, the troubles which
are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight
of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them.
4:18 And so we have no eyes
for things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible; for
visible things last only for a time, and the invisible things are eternal.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 5
5:1 For
we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a
house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the
heavens.
5:2 In this present state, it
is true, we groan as we wait with longing to put on our heavenly home over the
other;
5:3 we should like to be found
wearing clothes and not without them.
5:4 Yes, we groan and find it
a burden being still in this tent, not that we want to strip it off, but to put
the second garment over it and to have what must die taken up into life.
5:5 This
is the purpose for which God made us, and he has given us the pledge of the
Spirit.
5:6 We are always full of
confidence, then, when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled
from the Lord,
5:7 going as we do by faith
and not by sight
5:8 -we are full of
confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our
home with the Lord.
5:9 Whether
we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him.
5:10 For
all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each
of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.
The apostolate in
action
5:11 And
so it is with the fear of the Lord in mind that we try to win people over. God
knows us for what we really are, and I hope that in your consciences you know
us too.
5:12 This is not another
attempt to commend ourselves to you: we are simply giving you reasons to be
proud of us, so that you will have an answer ready for the people who can boast
more about what they seem than what they are.
5:13 If we seemed out of our
senses, it was for God; but if we are being reasonable now, it is for your
sake.
5:14 And
this is because the love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one
man has died for all, then all men should be dead;
5:15 and the reason he died
for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for
him who died and was raised to life for them.
5:16 From
now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh.
Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is
not how we know him now.
5:17 And
for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has
gone, and now the new one is here.
5:18 It
is all God's work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and
gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation.
5:19 In other words, God in
Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men's faults against
them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
5:20 So
we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us,
and the appeal that we make in Christ's name is: be reconciled to God.
5:21 For
our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the
goodness of God.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 6
6:1 As
his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that
you have received.
6:2 For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of
salvation I came to your help.[*a] Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
6:3 We
do nothing that people might object to, so as not to bring discredit on our function
as God's servants.
6:4 Instead, we prove we are
servants of God by great fortitude in times of suffering: in times of hardship
and distress;
6:5 when we are flogged, or
sent to prison, or mobbed; labouring, sleepless,
starving.
6:6 We
prove we are God's servants by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by
a spirit of holiness, by a love free from affectation;
6:7 by the word of truth and
by the power of God; by being armed with the weapons of righteousness in the
right hand and in the left,
6:8 prepared for honour or disgrace, for blame or praise; taken for
impostors while we are genuine;
6:9 obscure yet famous; said
to be dying and here are we alive; rumoured to be
executed before we are sentenced;
6:10 thought most miserable
and yet we are always rejoicing; taken for paupers though we make others rich,
for people having nothing though we have everything.
Paul opens his
heart. A warning
6:11 Corinthians, we have
spoken to you very frankly; our mind has been opened in front of you.
6:12 Any
constraint that you feel is not on our side; the constraint is in your own
selves.
6:13 I speak as if to children
of mine: as a fair exchange, open your minds in the same way.
6:14 Do
not harness yourselves in an uneven team with unbelievers. Virtue is no companion
for crime. Light and darkness have nothing in common.
6:15 Christ is not the ally of
Beliar, nor has a believer anything to share with an
unbeliever.
6:16 The
temple of God has no common ground with idols, and that is what we are - the
temple of the living God. We have God's word for it: I will make my home among
them and live with them; I will be their God and they shall be my people.[*b]
6:17 Then
come away from them and keep aloof, says the Lord. Touch nothing that is
unclean,[*c] and I will welcome you
6:18 and be your father, and
you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Almighty Lord.[*d]
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 7
7:1 With
promises like these made to us, dear brothers, let us wash off all that can
soil either body or spirit, to reach perfection of holiness in the fear of God.
7:2 Keep
a place for us in your hearts. We have not injured anyone, or ruined anyone, or
exploited anyone.
7:3 I am not saying this to
put any blame on you; as I have already told you, you are in our hearts - together
we live or together we die.
7:4 I
have the very greatest confidence in you, and I am so proud of you that in all
our trouble I am filled with consolation and my joy is overflowing.
Paul in Macedonia;
he is joined by Titus
7:5 Even
after we had come to Macedonia, however, there was no rest for this body of
ours. Far from it; we found trouble on all sides: quarrels outside, misgivings
inside.
7:6 But God comforts the
miserable, and he comforted us, by the arrival of Titus,
7:7 and not only by his arrival
but also by the comfort which he had gained from you. He has told us all about
how you want to see me, how sorry you were, and how concerned for me, and so I
am happier now than I was before.
7:8 But
to tell the truth, even if I distressed you by my letter, I do not regret it. I
did regret it before, and I see that that letter did distress you, at least for
a time;
7:9 but I am happy now - not
because I made you suffer, but because your suffering
led to your repentance. Yours has been a kind of suffering that God approves,
and so you have come to no kind of harm from us.
7:10 To
suffer in God's way means changing for the better and leaves no regrets, but to
suffer as the world knows suffering brings death.
7:11 Just
look at what suffering in God's way has brought you: what keenness, what
explanations, what indignation, what alarm! Yes, and what aching to see me,
what concern for me, and what justice done! In every way you have shown
yourselves blameless in this affair.
7:12 So
then, though I wrote the letter to you, it was not written for the sake either
of the offender or of the one offended; it was to make you realise,
in the sight of God, your own concern for us.
7:13 That
is what we have found so encouraging. With this encouragement, too, we had the
even greater happiness of finding Titus so happy; thanks to you all, he has no
more worries;
7:14 I had rather boasted to
him about you, and now I have not been made to look foolish; in fact, our
boasting to Titus has proved to be as true as anything that we ever said to
you.
7:15 His own personal
affection for you is all the greater when he remembers how willing you have all
been, and with what deep respect you welcomed him.
7:16 I am very happy knowing
that I can rely on you so completely.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS Chapter
8
II. ORGANISATION OF
THE COLLECTION
Why the Corinthians
should be generous
8:1 Now
here, brothers, is the news of the grace of God which was given in the churches
in Macedonia;
8:2 and of how, throughout great
trials by suffering, their constant cheerfulness and their intense poverty have
overflowed in a wealth of generosity.
8:3 I can swear that they gave
not only as much as they could afford, but far more, and quite spontaneously,
8:4 begging and begging us for
the favour of sharing in this service to the saints
8:5 and, what was quite
unexpected, they offered their own selves first to God and, under God, to us.
8:6 Because of this, we have
asked Titus, since he has already made a beginning, to bring this work of mercy
to the same point of success among you.
8:7 You always have the most
of everything - of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any
cause, and the biggest share of our affection - so we expect you to put the
most into this work of mercy too.
8:8 It is not an order that I
am giving you; I am just testing the genuineness of your love against the
keenness of others.
8:9 Remember how generous the
Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich
out of his poverty.
8:10 As I say, I am only
making a suggestion; it is only fair to you, since you were the first, a year
ago, not only in taking action but even in deciding to.
8:11 So
now finish the work and let the results be worthy, as far as you can afford it,
of the decision you made promptly.
8:12 As
long as the readiness is there, a man is acceptable with whatever he can
afford; never mind what is beyond his means.
8:13 This
does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult
for yourselves: it is a question of balancing
8:14 what happens to be your
surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to
spare that will supply your own need. That is how we strike a balance:
8:15 as scripture says: The
man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go
short.[*a]
The delegates
recommended to the Corinthians
8:16 I thank God for putting
into Titus' heart the same concern for you that I have myself.
8:17 He did what we asked him;
indeed he is more concerned than ever, and is visiting you on his own
initiative.
8:18 As
his companion we are sending the brother who is famous in all the churches for
spreading the gospel.
8:19 More than that, he
happens to be the same brother who has been elected by the churches to be our
companion on this errand of mercy that, for the glory of God, we have
undertaken to satisfy our impatience to help.
8:20 We
hope that in this way there will be no accusations made about our administering
such a large fund;
8:21 for we are trying to do
right not only in the sight of God but also in the sight of men.[*b]
8:22 To accompany these, we
are sending a third brother, of whose keenness we have often had proof in many
different ways, and who is particularly keen about this, because he has great
confidence in you.
8:23 Titus, perhaps I should
add, is my own colleague and fellow worker in your interests; the other two
brothers, who are delegates of the churches, are a real glory to Christ.
8:24 So
then, in front of all the churches, give them a proof of your love, and prove
to them that we are right to be proud of you.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 9
9:1 There
is really no need for me to write to you on the subject of offering your
services to the saints,
9:2 since I know how anxious
you are to help; in fact, I boast about you to the Macedonians, telling them,
'Achaia has been ready since last year'. So your zeal has been a spur to many
more.
9:3 I am sending the brothers
all the same, to make sure that our boasting about you does
not prove to have been empty this time, and that you really are ready as I said
you would be.
9:4 If
some of the Macedonians who are coming with me found you unprepared, we should
be humiliated - to say nothing of yourselves - after being so confident.
9:5 That is why I have thought
it necessary to ask these brothers to go on to you ahead of us, and make sure
in advance that the gift you promised is all ready, and that it all comes as a
gift out of your generosity and not by being extorted from you.
Blessings to be
expected from the collection
9:6 Do
not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you
reap.
9:7 Each one should give what
he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for
God loves a cheerful giver.[*a]
9:8 And there is no limit to
the blessings which God can send you - he will make sure that you will always
have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have
something to spare for all sorts of good works.
9:9 As scripture says: He was
free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be
forgotten.[*b]
9:10 The
one who provides seed for the sower and bread for
food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your
good deeds a larger one,
9:11 and, made richer in every
way, you will be able to do all the generous things which, through us, are the
cause of thanksgiving to God.
9:12 For
doing this holy service is not only supplying all the needs of the saints, but
it is also increasing the amount of thanksgiving that God receives.
9:13 By
offering this service, you show them what you are, and that makes them give
glory to God for the way you accept and profess the gospel of Christ, and for
your sympathetic generosity to them and to all.
9:14 And
their prayers for you, too, show how they are drawn to you on account of all
the grace that God has given you.
9:15 Thanks be to God for his
inexpressible gift!
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 10
III. PAUL'S
APOLOGIA
Paul's reply to
accusations of weakness
10:1 This
is a personal matter; this is Paul himself appealing to you by the gentleness
and patience of Christ - I, the man who is so humble when he is facing you, but
bullies you when he is at a distance.
10:2 I
only ask that I do not have to bully you when I come, with all the confident
assurance I mean to show when I come face to face with people I could name who
think we go by ordinary human motives.
10:3 We
live in the flesh, of course, but the muscles that we fight with are not flesh.
10:4 Our
war is not fought with weapons of flesh, yet they are strong enough, in God's
cause, to demolish fortresses. We demolish sophistries,
10:5 and the arrogance that tries
to resist the knowledge of God; every thought is our prisoner, captured to be
brought into obedience to Christ.
10:6 Once
you have given your complete obedience, we are prepared to punish any
disobedience.
10:7 Face plain facts. Anybody
who is convinced that he belongs to Christ must go on to reflect that we all
belong to Christ no less than he does.
10:8 Maybe I do boast rather
too much about our authority, but the Lord gave it to me for building you up
and not for pulling you down, and I shall not be ashamed of it.
10:9 I
do not want you to think of me as someone who only frightens you by letter.
10:10 Someone
said, 'He writes powerful and strongly-worded letters but when he is with you you see only half a man and no preacher at all'.
10:11 The
man who said that can remember this: whatever we are like in the words of our
letters when we are absent, that is what we shall be like in our actions when
we are present.
His reply to the
accusation of ambition
10:12 We
are not being so bold as to rank ourselves, or invite comparison, with certain
people who write their own references. Measuring themselves against themselves,
and comparing themselves to themselves, they are simply foolish.
10:13 We, on the other hand,
are not going to boast without a standard to measure against: taking for our
measure the yardstick which God gave us to measure with, which is long enough
to reach to you.
10:14 We are not stretching
further than we ought; otherwise we should not have reached you, as we did come
all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.
10:15 So we are not boasting
without any measure, about work that was done by other people; in fact, we
trust that, as your faith grows, we shall get taller and taller, when judged by
our own standard.
10:16 I mean, we shall be
carrying the gospel to places far beyond you, without encroaching on anyone
else's field, not boasting of the work already done.
10:17 If anyone wants to
boast, let him boast of the Lord.[*a]
10:18 It
is not the man who commends himself that can be accepted, but the man who is
commended by the Lord.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 11
Paul is driven to
sound his own praises
11:1 I only wish you were able
to tolerate a little foolishness from me. But of course: you are tolerant
towards me.
11:2 You
see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God's own jealousy: I arranged for you
to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one
husband.
11:3 But the serpent, with his
cunning, seduced Eve, and I am afraid that in the same way your ideas may get
corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ.
11:4 Because any new-comer has
only to proclaim a new Jesus, different from the one that we preached, or you
have only to receive a new spirit, different from the one you have already
received, or a new gospel, different from the one you have already accepted -
and you welcome it with open arms.
11:5 As far as I can tell,
these arch-apostles have nothing more than I have.
11:6 I
may not be a polished speechmaker, but as for knowledge, that is a different
matter; surely we have made this plain, speaking on every subject in front of
all of you.
11:7 Or was I wrong, lowering
myself so as to lift you high, by preaching the gospel of God to you and taking
no fee for it?
11:8 I
was robbing other churches living on them so that I could serve you.
11:9 When I was with you and
ran out of money, I was no burden to anyone; the brothers who came from
Macedonia provided me with everything I wanted. I was very careful, and I
always shall be, not to be a burden to you in any way,
11:10 and by Christ's truth in
me, this cause of boasting will never be taken from me in the regions of
Achaia.
11:11 Would
I do that if I did not love you? God knows I do.
11:12 I intend to go on doing what
I am doing now - leaving no opportunity for those people who are looking for an
opportunity to claim equality with us in what they boast of.
11:13 These
people are counterfeit apostles, they are dishonest workmen disguised as
apostles of Christ.
11:14 There
is nothing unexpected about that; if Satan himself goes disguised as an angel
of light, is there is no need to be surprised when his servants, too, disguise
themselves as the servants of righteousness. They will come to the end that
they deserve.
11:16 As
I said before, let no one take me for a fool; but if you must, then treat me as
a fool and let me do a little boasting of my own.
11:17 What I am going to say
now is not prompted by the Lord, but said as if in a fit of folly, in the
certainty that I have something to boast about.
11:18 So many others have been
boasting of their worldly achievements, that I will boast myself.
11:19 You
are all wise men and can cheerfully tolerate fools,
11:20 yes, even to tolerating
somebody who makes slaves of you, makes you feed him, imposes on you, orders
you about and slaps you in the face.
11:21 I hope you are ashamed
of us for being weak with you instead! But if anyone wants some brazen speaking
- I am still talking as a fool - then I can be as brazen as any of them, and
about the same things.
11:22 Hebrews, are they? So am I. Israelites? So am I.
Descendants of Abraham? So am I.
11:23 The
servants of Christ? I must be mad to say this, but so am
I, and more than they: more, because I have worked harder, I have been sent to
prison more often, and whipped many times more, often almost to death.
11:24 Five times I had the
thirty-nine lashes from the Jews;
11:25 three times I have been
beaten with sticks; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked and
once adrift in the open sea for a night and a day.
11:26 Constantly travelling, I
have been in danger from rivers and in danger from brigands, in danger from my
own people and in danger from pagans; in danger in the towns, in danger in the
open country, danger at sea and danger from so-called brothers.
11:27 I have worked and laboured, often without sleep; I have been hungry and
thirsty and often starving; I have been in the cold without clothes.
11:28 And,
to leave out much more, there is my daily preoccupation: my anxiety for all the
churches.
11:29 When any man has had
scruples, I have had scruples with him; when any man is made to fall, I am
tortured.
11:30 If
I am to boast, then let me boast of my own feebleness.
11:31 The God and Father of
the Lord Jesus - bless him for ever - knows that I am not lying.
11:32 When
I was in Damascus, the ethnarch of King Aretas put guards round the city to catch me,
11:33 and I had to be let down
over the wall in a hamper, through a window, in order to escape.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 12
12:1 Must
I go on boasting, though there is nothing to be gained by it? But I will move
on to the visions and revelations I have had from the Lord.
12:2 I know a man in Christ
who, fourteen years ago, was caught up whether still in the body or out of the
body, I do not know; God knows-right into the third heaven.[*a]
12:3 I do know, however, that
this same person-whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know; God
knows-
12:4 was caught up into paradise
and heard things which must not and cannot be put into human language.
12:5 I
will boast about a man like that, but not about anything of my own except my
weaknesses.
12:6 If I should decide to
boast, I should not be made to look foolish, because I should only be speaking
the truth; but I am not going to, in case anyone should begin to think I am
better than he can actually see and hear me to be.
12:7 In view of the
extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting too proud I
was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from
getting too proud!
12:8 About
this thing, I have pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me,
12:9 but he has said, 'My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness'.
So I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the
power of Christ may stay over me,
12:10 and that is why I am
quite content with my weaknesses, and with insults, hardships, persecutions,
and the agonies I go through for Christ's sake. For it is when I am weak that I
am strong.
12:11 I have been talking like
a fool, but you forced me to do it: you are the ones who should have been
commending me. Though I am a nobody, there is not a
thing these arch-apostles have that I do not have as well.
12:12 You
have seen done among you all the things that mark the true apostle, unfailingly
produced: the signs, the marvels, the miracles.
12:13 Is
there anything of which you have had less than the other churches have had,
except that I have not myself been a burden on you? For this unfairness, please
forgive me.
12:14 I am all prepared now to
come to you for the third time, and I am not going to be a burden on you: it is
you I want, not your possessions. Children are not expected to save up for
their parents, but parents for children.
12:15 I am perfectly willing
to spend what I have, and to be expended, in the interests of your souls.
Because I love you more, must I be loved the less?
12:16 All
very well, you say: I personally put no pressure on you, but like the cunning
fellow that I am, I took you in by a trick.
12:17 So
we exploited you, did we, through one of the men that I have sent to you?
12:18 Well, Titus went at my
urging, and I sent the brother that came with him. Can Titus have exploited
you? You know that he and I have always been guided by the same spirit and
trodden in the same tracks.
Paul's fears and
anxieties
12:19 All
this time you have been thinking that our defence is
addressed to you, but it is before God that we, in Christ, are speaking; and it
is all, my dear brothers, for your benefit.
12:20 What I am afraid of is
that when I come I may find you different from what I want you to be, and you
may find that I am not as you would like me to be; and then there will be wrangling,
jealousy, and tempers roused, intrigues and backbiting and gossip, obstinacies
and disorder.
12:21 I am afraid that on my
next visit, my God may make me ashamed on your account and I shall be grieving
over all those who sinned before and have still not repented of the impurities,
fornication and debauchery they committed.
JB 2 CORINTHIANS
Chapter 13
13:1 This
will be the third time I have come to you. The evidence of three, or at least
two, witnesses is necessary to sustain the charge.[*a]
13:2 I gave warning when I was
with you the second time and I give warning now, too, before I come, to those
who sinned before and to any others, that when I come again, I shall have no
mercy.
13:3 You
want proof, you say, that it is Christ speaking in me: you have known him not
as a weakling, but as a power among you?
13:4 Yes, but he was crucified
through weakness, and still he lives now through the power of God. So then, we
are weak, as he was, but we shall live with him, through the power of God, for
your benefit.
13:5 Examine
yourselves to make sure you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is really in you? If not, you have failed the
test,
13:6 but we, as I hope you
will come to see, have not failed it.
13:7 We
pray to God that you will do nothing wrong: not that we want to appear as the
ones who have been successful - we would rather that you did well even though
we failed.
13:8 We
have no power to resist the truth; only to further it.
13:9 We
are only too glad to be weak provided you are strong. What we ask in our
prayers is for you to be made perfect.
13:10 That is why I am writing
this from a distance, so that when I am with you I shall not need to be strict,
with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for
destroying.
CONCLUSION
Recommendations. Greetings. Final good wishes
13:11 In the meantime,
brothers, we wish you happiness; try to grow perfect; help one another. Be
united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace
will be with you.
13:12 Greet
one another with the holy kiss. All the saints send you greetings.
13:13 The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.
END OF JB
2 CORINTHIANS [13 Chapters].