2 COR 12:16 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But let it be so, I myself did not burden you, but being crafty, I caught you by deceit.

UST You can agree, then, that I personally did not bother you by asking for money. However, perhaps I am a clever person. Maybe I somehow tricked you into giving me money.

BSB Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you; but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.

BLB But be it so, I did not burden you; but being crafty, I caught you by trickery.

AICNT But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; But being crafty, I took you by deceit.

OEB You will admit that I was not a burden to you but you say that I was ‘crafty’ and caught you ‘by a trick’!

WEBBE Even so, I myself didn’t burden you. But you might say that being crafty, I caught you with deception.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit!

LSV And be it [so], I did not burden you, but being crafty, I took you with guile;

FBV Well, even if that's so, I wasn't a burden to you. Maybe I was being devious, and tricked you with my cunning ways!

TCNT Be that as it may, I did not burden you. But crafty fellow that I am, I apparently took you in by deceit!

T4T You all know that I did not depend on you to provide for my needs. However, there are some who accuse me, saying that [IRO] I was very clever and got money from you by tricking you.

LEB But let it be. I have not been a burden to you, but because I[fn] was crafty, I took you by cunning.

12:16 *Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as causal

BBE But let it be so, that I was not a trouble to you myself; but (someone may say) being false, I took you with deceit.

Moff But let that pass, you say; I was not a burden to you, no, but I was clever enough to dupe you with my tricks? Was I?

Wymth If I love you so intensely, am I the less to be loved? Be that as it may: I was not a burden to you. But being by no means scrupulous, I entrapped you, they say!

ASV But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

DRA But be it so: I did not burthen you: but being crafty, I caught you by guile.

YLT And be it [so], I — I did not burden you, but being crafty, with guile I did take you;

Drby But be it so. I did not burden you, but being crafty I took you by guile.

RV But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

SLT And let it be, I overloaded you not: but being dexterous, I took you by contrivance.

Wbstr But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

KJB-1769 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.

KJB-1611 But be it so: I did not burthen you: neuerthelesse beeing craftie, I caught you with guile.
(But be it so: I did not burden you: nevertheless being craftie, I caught you with guile.)

Bshps But be it, that I was not chargeable vnto you: Neuerthelesse, when I was craftie, I caught you with guile.
(But be it, that I was not chargeable unto you: Nevertheless, when I was craftie, I caught you with guile.)

Gnva But bee it that I charged you not: yet for as much as I was craftie, I tooke you with guile.
(But be it that I charged you not: yet for as much as I was craftie, I took you with guile. )

Cvdl But let it be so that I greued you not, neuertheles for so moch as I was craftye, I toke you wt gyle.
(But let it be so that I grieved you not, nevertheless for so much as I was craftye, I took you with guile.)

TNT But be it that I greved you not: never the lesse I was crafty and toke you with gile.
(But be it that I greved you not: never the less I was crafty and took you with guile. )

Wycl But be it; Y greuyde not you, but whanne Y was sutil, Y took you with gile.
(But be it; I greuyde not you, but when I was sutil, I took you with guile.)

Luth Aber laß also sein, daß ich euch nicht habe beschweret, sondern dieweil ich tückisch war, habe ich euch mit Hinterlist gefangen.
(But let also be, that I you not have beschweret, rather meanwhile I tückisch was, have I you with Hinterlist caught.)

ClVg Sed esto: ego vos non gravavi: sed cum essem astutus, dolo vos cepi.
(But be: I you(pl) not/no gravavi: but when/with I_would_be astutus, trickery you(pl) cepi. )

UGNT ἔστω δέ, ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς; ἀλλὰ ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ, ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον.
(estō de, egō ou katebaraʸsa humas; alla huparⱪōn panourgos dolōi, humas elabon.)

SBL-GNT ἔστω δέ, ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς· ἀλλὰ ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον.
(estō de, egō ou katebaraʸsa humas; alla huparⱪōn panourgos dolōi humas elabon.)

RP-GNT Ἔστω δέ, ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς· ἀλλ' ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος, δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον.
(Estō de, egō ou katebaraʸsa humas; all' huparⱪōn panourgos, dolōi humas elabon.)

TC-GNT Ἔστω δέ, ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς· [fn]ἀλλ᾽ ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος, δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον.
(Estō de, egō ou katebaraʸsa humas; all huparⱪōn panourgos, dolōi humas elabon. )

12:16 αλλ ¦ αλλα NA²⁷ SBL TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:11–21: Proof that Paul was an apostle and his concern for the believers

In this section, the attitude of some believers in Corinth forced Paul to act foolishly and boast (12:11a). Paul knew he deserved praise from them and was better than the false teachers even though humanly speaking he deserved nothing (12:11b–d). Paul reminded the believers of all that he had done among them that proved he was an apostle (12:12). He asked them if they were angry at him with a rhetorical question and, using irony, told them that they should not be angry (12:13).

He told them that he would continue to avoid accepting their money for his support and explained why (12:14). He told them of his great love for them (12:15).

Using irony, Paul told them that he had not deceived them (12:16) and that his colleagues had not exploited them either (12:17–18). He explained that he had not been defending himself, but rather he was teaching them to be strong in their faith (12:19). He told them of some of his fears about them (12:20–21).

Other examples for this section heading are:

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthian Church (NRSV)

Paul loved the believers in Corinth

Paul reminded the believers in Corinth about his deeds and explained his worry for them

Paul defended his apostleship and spoke about his concern for the believers

12:16a

Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you;

¶ Let us agree that I was not a financial burden to you^(plur),
¶ You admit, then, that I certainly did not accept support from you.

Be that as it may: The phrase that the BSB translates as Be that as it may is literally “And/But let.” There are two ways to interpret the Greek words:

They indicate that Paul believed the believers in Corinth would agree with the following statement (“I have not been a burden to you”). This statement is a summary of a previous topic (12:13–14). For example:
granting that (RSV) (RSV, GNT, NABRE, NLT, GW, CEV, ESV, NCV)
They conclude the previous topic about love (12:15c) and indicate contrast to the next statement. For example:
All right, then (NJB) (BSB, NIV, NJB, NASB, NET, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Martin (p. 444) says “he assumes that his readers concede him the point that he has not been a direct burden on anyone.” Furnish (p. 557) translates the Greek phrase as “Now, it is agreed that.” Furnish (p. 558) says, “Epictetus II.iv.5…provides the closest parallel…‘assuming that’.”

Other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1) are:

You agree, then, (GNT)

I know you agree that

12:16b

but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.

but/however you know me to be so crafty/clever, and I deceived you completely!
Am I such a crafty fellow that I caught/deceived you by a trick? Of course not!
But someone must have said that I am crafty and deceived you completely, which is a lie.

but: The Greek word that the BSB translates as but indicates strong contrast. Here 12:16a is a statement the believers in Corinth could agree with. But 12:16b is a false statement, written as irony, so that the believers would disagree. They would say that Paul was always honest and taught without deceit. Consider how to indicate here this kind of contrast in your language.

crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.: This clause is probably the accusation of the false teachers against Paul. He uses it in irony. Paul was not crafty. He did not deceive the believers. By using irony here, Paul said that the accusation was a lie and the believers should know it was a lie. For the irony you may want to:

Translate in a way that clearly shows the irony. For example:
You know me to be so crafty/clever, and I deceived you completely!
because I was such a crafty person, I captured you by deceit!
Translate the irony as a rhetorical question. The rhetorical question should clearly indicate that Paul said that the accusation was a lie. For example:
Am I such a crafty fellow that I caught/deceived you by a trick? Of course not!
Was I a clever person who trapped you by some trick? (GW)
Translate the irony as a statement from someone else. Most of the believers did not believe that Paul deceived them, so the “someone” should imply the false teachers. For example:
someone must have said that I am crafty and deceived you completely, which is a lie.
others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery (NLT)

crafty: Here the word crafty refers to a person who is able to deceive people easily. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a clever person (GW)

I was tricky (GNT)

I am such a good deceiver

caught: The Greek word here is literally “took.” Here it refers figuratively to influencing people so that they follow lies. The false teachers probably accused Paul of influencing the believers so that they followed lies. Other ways to translate this Greek word are:

trick to his own advantage

cheat

See how you translated this Greek word in 11:20 (where the BSB translates it as “takes advantage of”).

trickery: The Greek word that the BSB translates as trickery refers to deceit or treachery. Other ways to translate this word are:

guile (RSV)

deceit (NASB)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἔστω δέ, ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς; ἀλλὰ

˱it˲_let_be (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔστω Δέ ἐγώ οὒ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς ἀλλά ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον)

Here, the phrase But let it be so indicates that something is agreed upon or certainly true. Paul could be referring to: (1) what he is about to say about not being a burden to the Corinthians. He means that he and the Corinthians can agree about that. Alternate translation: [But here is what we can agree on: I myself did not burden you. However] (2) what he said in the previous verse about loving the Corinthians, although he may be loved less. He means that even if that is true, he will still not burden the Corinthians. Alternate translation: [Besides all that, I myself did not burden you. However,] or [Even if that has happened, I myself did not burden you. However,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rpronouns

ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔστω Δέ ἐγώ οὒ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς ἀλλά ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον)

Here, the word translated myself emphasizes I. Consider using a natural way to emphasize I in your language. Alternate translation: [I indeed did not burden] or [as for me, I did not burden]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔστω Δέ ἐγώ οὒ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς ἀλλά ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον)

Here Paul speaks of asking for money as if it were a heavy burden that he would have asked the Corinthians to carry for him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or plain language. See how you translated the similar phrase in [12:14](../12/14.md). Alternate translation: [I myself did not trouble you] or [I myself did not ask for money and so harass you]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / irony

ἀλλὰ ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ, ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔστω Δέ ἐγώ οὒ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς ἀλλά ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον)

Here Paul speaks from the perspective of either the Corinthians of the opponents. They may think or say that Paul was crafty and caught them by deceit. He speaks from their perspective so that he can respond to this claim in the following verses. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a form that clearly expresses that Paul is speaking from another person’s perspective. Alternate translation: [but someone may say that I, being crafty, caught you by deceit] or [but you may think that I caught you by deceit, being crafty]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον

you_all you_all ˱I˲_took

Here Paul speaks of deceiving or tricking the Corinthians as if he were physically grabbing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See the similar phrase “takes advantage” in [11:20](../11/20.md). Alternate translation: [I took advantage of you] or [I cheated you]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

δόλῳ

˱by˲_deceit

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of deceit, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [by being deceitful]

Parallel 2 COR 12:16

Section 12:11–21: Proof that Paul was an apostle and his concern for the believers

12:16a

12:16b

Parallel 2 COR 12:16