2 Corinthians 12:19

THE MESSAGE

I hope you don't think that all along we've been making our defense before you, the jury. You're not the jury; God is the jury—God revealed in Christ—and we make our case before him. And we've gone to all the trouble of supporting ourselves so that we won't be in the way or get in the way of your growing up.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

Legacy Standard Bible
All this time you think we are defending ourselves to you. We speak in Christ in the sight of God. And all these things, beloved, are for your building up.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Do you think we are just being defensive? No, we are talking plain to y'all and we'd say the same things if Jesus was standing right here. We care about y'all and push y'all every day to be better cowboys.

Bible in Basic English
It may seem to you that all this time we have been attempting to put ourselves in the right; but we are saying these things before God in Christ. For all things, dear brothers, are for your profit.

Darby Translation
Ye have long been supposing that we excuse ourselves to you: we speak before God in Christ; and all things, beloved, for your building up.

Christian Standard Bible®
You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up.

World English Bible
Again, do you think that we are excusing ourselves to you? In the sight of God we speak in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Think ye that we again excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all things, beloved, for your edification.

Weymouth's New Testament
You are imagining, all this time, that we are making our defense at your bar. In reality it is as in God's presence and in communion with Christ that we speak; but, dear friends, it is all with a view to your progress in goodness.

King James Version (1611)
Againe, thinke you that we excuse our selues vnto you? wee speake before God in Christ: but wee doe all things, dearely beloued, for your edifying.

Literal Translation
Again, do you think we are defending ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ, but in all things for your building up, beloved.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Agayne, thynke ye yt we excuse oure selues? We speake in Christ in the sighte off God. But all this (dearly beloued) is done for yor edifyenge.

Mace New Testament (1729)
do you think I have been making excuses for not coming? as I am a christian, in the presence of God, I have, my beloved, in every thing consulted your advantage.

Amplified Bible
All this time you have been thinking that we are [merely] defending ourselves to you. It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking [as one] in Christ; and everything, dearly beloved, is to strengthen you [spiritually].

American Standard Version
Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying.

Revised Standard Version
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Agayne thynke ye yt we excuse oure selves? We speake in Christ in the sight of God. But we do all thynges dearly beloved for youre edifyinge.

Update Bible Version
You think all this time that we are excusing ourselves to you. In the sight of God we speak in Christ. But all things, beloved, [are] for your edifying.

Webster's Bible Translation
Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves to you? we speak before God in Christ: but [we do] all things, dearly beloved, for your edification.

Young's Literal Translation
Again, think ye that to you we are making defence? before God in Christ do we speak; and the all things, beloved, [are] for your up-building,

New Century Version
Do you think we have been defending ourselves to you all this time? We have been speaking in Christ and before God. You are our dear friends, and everything we do is to make you stronger.

New English Translation
Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.

Berean Standard Bible
Have you been thinking all along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.

Contemporary English Version
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? Actually, we have been speaking to God as followers of Christ. But, my friends, we did it all for your good.

Complete Jewish Bible
Perhaps you think that all this time we have been defending ourselves before you. No, we have been speaking in the sight of God, as those united with the Messiah should; and, my dear friends, it is all for your upbuilding.

English Standard Version
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Againe, thinke yee that wee excuse our selues vnto you? we speake before God in Christ. But wee doe all thinges, dearely beloued, for your edifying.

George Lamsa Translation
Why? Do you still think we are apologizing? No! We speak before God in Christ: and we do all these things, my beloved, for your edification.

Hebrew Names Version
Again, do you think that we are excusing ourselves to you? In the sight of God we speak in Messiah. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying.

International Standard Version
Have you been thinking all along that we are trying to defend ourselves before you? We are speaking before God in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is meant to build you up.Romans 9:1; 1 Corinthians 10:33; 2 Corinthians 5:12; 11:31;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
DO you again consider that we apologize to you ? Before Aloha in the Meshiha do we speak; and all, my beloved, for the sake of your up-building.

Murdock Translation
19 Do ye again suppose, that we would apologize to you? Before God, in the Messiah we speak: and all these things, my beloved, [fn] for the sake of your edification.

New King James Version
Again, do you think [fn] that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification.

New Living Translation
Perhaps you think we're saying these things just to defend ourselves. No, we tell you this as Christ's servants, and with God as our witness. Everything we do, dear friends, is to strengthen you.

New Life Bible
It may look to you as if we had been trying to make everything look right for ourselves all this time. God knows and so does Christ that all this is done to help you.

English Revised Version
Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, [are] for your edifying.

New Revised Standard
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All this time, think ye, that, unto you, we are making a defence? Before God in Christ, we speak; - but all these things, beloved, for your upbuilding.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Of old, think you that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ: but all things, my dearly beloved, for your edification.

King James Version
Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.

Lexham English Bible
Have you been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and all these things, dear friends, are for your edification.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Agayne, thynke you that we excuse our selues vnto you? We speake in Christ in the syght of God: but [we do] all thinges dearely beloued, for your edifiyng.

Easy-to-Read Version
Do you think that we have been defending ourselves to you all this time? No, we say these things in Christ and before God. You are our dear friends, and everything we do is to make you stronger.

New American Standard Bible
All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for building you up, beloved.

Good News Translation
Perhaps you think that all along we have been trying to defend ourselves before you. No! We speak as Christ would have us speak in the presence of God, and everything we do, dear friends, is done to help you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sum tyme ye wenen, that we schulen excuse vs anentis you. Bifor God in Crist we speken; and, moost dere britheren, alle thingis for youre edifiyng.

Contextual Overview

¹¹Well, now I've done it! I've made a complete fool of myself by going on like this. But it's not all my fault; you put me up to it. You should have been doing this for me, sticking up for me and commending me instead of making me do it for myself. You know from personal experience that even if I'm a nobody, a nothing, I wasn't second-rate compared to those big-shot apostles you're so taken with. All the signs that mark a true apostle were in evidence while I was with you through both good times and bad: signs of portent, signs of wonder, signs of power. Did you get less of me or of God than any of the other churches? The only thing you got less of was less responsibility for my upkeep. Well, I'm sorry. Forgive me for depriving you. ¹⁴Everything is in readiness now for this, my third visit to you. But don't worry about it; you won't have to put yourselves out. I'll be no more of a bother to you this time than on the other visits. I have no interest in what you have—only in you. Children shouldn't have to look out for their parents; parents look out for the children. I'd be most happy to empty my pockets, even mortgage my life, for your good. So how does it happen that the more I love you, the less I'm loved? ¹⁶And why is it that I keep coming across these whiffs of gossip about how my self-support was a front behind which I worked an elaborate scam? Where's the evidence? Did I cheat or trick you through anyone I sent? I asked Titus to visit, and sent some brothers along. Did they swindle you out of anything? And haven't we always been just as aboveboard, just as honest? ¹⁹ I hope you don't think that all along we've been making our defense before you, the jury. You're not the jury; God is the jury—God revealed in Christ—and we make our case before him. And we've gone to all the trouble of supporting ourselves so that we won't be in the way or get in the way of your growing up. ²⁰I do admit that I have fears that when I come you'll disappoint me and I'll disappoint you, and in frustration with each other everything will fall to pieces—quarrels, jealousy, flaring tempers, taking sides, angry words, vicious rumors, swelled heads, and general bedlam. I don't look forward to a second humiliation by God among you, compounded by hot tears over that crowd that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways, who refuse to turn away from the pigsty of evil, sexual disorder, and indecency in which they wallow.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

think: 2 Corinthians 3:1, 2 Corinthians 5:12

we speak: 2 Corinthians 11:10, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Romans 9:1

but: 2 Corinthians 5:13, 2 Corinthians 10:8, 2 Corinthians 13:10, 1 Corinthians 9:12-23, 1 Corinthians 10:33, 1 Corinthians 14:26

dearly: 2 Corinthians 12:15, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Romans 12:19, 1 Corinthians 10:14, Philippians 4:1

Reciprocal: John 8:14 - yet Acts 9:31 - were edified Acts 22:1 - my Romans 8:37 - Nay 1 Corinthians 4:6 - for 1 Corinthians 4:14 - write 1 Corinthians 10:23 - edify Galatians 1:10 - do I seek Ephesians 4:12 - the edifying 1 Thessalonians 5:11 - and edify

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Again, think you that we excuse ourselves to you?.... The apostle would not have the Corinthians imagine, that by what he had said once and again in this epistle, he meant to excuse himself from coming to them, for he really and sincerely intended it; or that by this long defence of himself against the false apostles, he designed so much an apology for himself, or that he used any feigned words, or artful methods, to exculpate himself from any charge against him, particularly that of covetousness just mentioned; for he had no view to cover himself by studied apologies, and set orations, and evade anything exhibited against him, and make himself look innocent when guilty; it was not with any such intention he had dwelt so long on this subject:

we speak before God in Christ; in all sincerity and uprightness of soul, without colour, guile, or deceit, calling God and Christ to witness the truth of what was said; the apostle spoke all he did, as in the presence of the omniscient God; and as one in Christ, and a preacher of his Gospel, that would not deliver an untruth knowingly, for the whole world:

but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edification; it was not for himself so much, for his own credit, reputation, and glory, he did what he did; had this been the case, he would not have said the half part of what he had; but it was for their sake, out of love to them, that they might be built up and established in the faith of the Gospel, and not be carried away with the error of the wicked.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? - see the note on 2 Corinthians 5:12. The sense is, Do not suppose that this is said from mere anxiety to obtain your favor, or to ingratiate ourselves into your esteem. This is said doubtless to keep himself from the suspicion of being actuated by improper motives. He had manifested great solicitude certainly in the previous chapter to vindicate his character; but he here says that it was not from a mere desire to show them that his conduct was right; it was from a desire to honor Christ.

We speak before God in Christ - We declare the simple and undisguised truth as in the presence of God. I have no mere desire to palliate my conduct; I disguise nothing; I conceal nothing; I say nothing for the mere purpose of self-vindication, but I can appeal to the Searcher of hearts for the exact truth of all that I say. The phrase “before God in Christ,” means probably, “I speak as in the presence of God, and as a follower of Christ, as a Christian man.” It is the solemn appeal of a Christian to his God for the truth of what he said, and a solemn asseveration that what he said was not for the mere purpose of excusing or apologizing for (the sense of the Greek) his conduct.

But we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying - All that I have done has been for your welfare. My vindication of my character, and my effort to disabuse you of your prejudices, has been that you might have unwavering confidence in the gospel and might be built up in holy faith. On the word “edify,” see the Romans 14:19 note; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 10:23 notes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. Think ye that we excuse ourselves — απολογουμεθα; That we make an apology for our conduct; or, that I have sent Titus and that brother to you because I was ashamed or afraid to come myself?

We speak before God in Christ — I have not done so; I speak the truth before God; he is judge whether I was actuated in this way by any sinister or unworthy motive.

For your edifying. — Whatever I have done in this or any other way, I have done for your edifying; not for any emolument to myself or friends.