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2 Cor C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13
2 Cor 13 V1 V2 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13
OET (OET-LV) Because proof you_all_are_seeking which in me speaking of_chosen_one/messiah, who toward you_all not is_faltering, but is_able among you_all.
OET (OET-RV) because you’re all wanting proof that I speak from Messiah who isn’t incapable of handling you all but is quite able to do what he wants.
In this section, Paul warned the believers that he would punish anyone who was sinning and refusing to repent (13:1–2). He said he would do that because some believers in Corinth were demanding proof from him that he was a true apostle (13:3a). He told them that he could work powerfully because Jesus is powerful (13:3b). He told them that they were weak in their natural abilities but had God’s power, as Jesus did when he lived on earth (13:4).
Then Paul commanded them to look carefully at themselves to see if they were truly believers or not (13:5). Paul expected that if they studied Paul’s words and deeds, then they would see that he was a true apostle (13:6). Paul told them that he and his coworkers prayed for the believers in Corinth that they would not sin and that they would do what was right (13:7). Paul told them that he and his coworkers worked in accordance with the truth (13:8). He told the believers that he prayed that they would always do as God wanted them to do (13:9). He told them that he wrote about their problems so that they would correct those problems themselves. Then he would encourage them when he went there and would not have to discipline them (13:10).
Other examples for this section heading are:
Examine Yourselves (NASB)
Paul gave final warnings
Final warnings and greetings
since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.
For you(plur) seek proof that Christ speaks through me.
I say that since you want me to prove to you that Christ speaks through me as his apostle/representative.
since: This word introduces a reason why Paul would spare no one who had continued to sin. Other ways to translate this are:
because
The reason is
you are demanding proof: The Greek word that the BSB translates as are demanding is literally “seek.” Some of the believers were not satisfied that Paul was truly an apostle, so they sought proof from him about that. Other ways to translate this clause are:
you seek proof (ESV)
you desire proof (RSV)
you are asking for a proof (NJB)
proof: This word refers to evidence of the truthfulness of something that comes from testing it. The believers wanted to test Paul to see if he was truly an apostle. The evidence that they expected was probably a miracle or sign. Other ways to translate this word are:
evidence
This should prove to you (CEV)
Christ is speaking through me: This clause refers to Paul speaking the things that Jesus would want him to say. The false teachers were probably saying that Paul preached and taught from his own thoughts rather than preaching and teaching what Jesus wanted him to. Other ways to translate this clause are:
I am speaking for Christ (CEV)
Christ tells me what to say to you
I am Christ’s messenger
He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
When he deals with you, he is not weak. Instead, he is powerful among you.
He is not weak in his relationship with you—instead he works powerfully among you.
He is not weak in dealing with you: The Greek words are literally “who is not weak toward you” (as in the NASB). This clause indicates that Christ is powerful in his relationship with the believers. Christ is not so weak that he can do nothing regarding them. He is able to correct them if he chooses to. He also empowers them to do the right things. Other ways to translate this are:
When he deals with you, he is not weak (GNT)
he is not weak in his relationship with you
Christ is not too weak to punish you or to help you
is powerful among you: This phrase refers to Christ doing powerful deeds in connection with the believers. Other ways to translate this are:
his power is at work among you (NJB)
he shows his power among you (GNT)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
δοκιμὴν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐπεί δοκιμήν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοί λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ ὅς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ ἀλλά δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of proof, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [you want me to prove that Christ speaks through me]
ἐν ἐμοὶ λαλοῦντος
in among (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐπεί δοκιμήν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοί λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ ὅς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ ἀλλά δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν)
Alternate translation: [speaking through me]
Note 2 topic: writing-pronouns
ὃς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐπεί δοκιμήν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοί λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ ὅς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ ἀλλά δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν)
The pronoun who refers to Christ. If this is not clear for your readers, you could include “Christ” here. Alternate translation: [Christ, who]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀλλὰ δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐπεί δοκιμήν ζητεῖτε τοῦ ἐν ἐμοί λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ ὅς εἰς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀσθενεῖ ἀλλά δυνατεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν)
The implication is that Christ will be powerful among the Corinthian believers when Paul comes and disciplines them using Christ’s power. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [but will punish you powerfully when I come]
OET (OET-LV) Because proof you_all_are_seeking which in me speaking of_chosen_one/messiah, who toward you_all not is_faltering, but is_able among you_all.
OET (OET-RV) because you’re all wanting proof that I speak from Messiah who isn’t incapable of handling you all but is quite able to do what he wants.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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