the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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THE MESSAGE
2 Corinthians 13:7
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Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved.
Now we pray to God that you do no wrong, not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved.
We pray that y'all will not refuse correction. I hope we have no need to exercise the authority we've been given when we get there. Please, do the right thing and fix what needs fixing so we don't have to when we arrive. I don't even care if it looks like we failed. If it gets fixed, that's all that matters.
Now our prayer to God is that you may do no evil; not in order that it may be put to our credit, but so that you may do what is right, whatever we may seem.
But we pray to God that ye may do nothing evil; not that *we* may appear approved, but that *ye* may do what is right, and *we* be as reprobates.
Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong—not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear to fail.
Now I pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is honorable, though we are as reprobate.
Now I pray God, that ye may do no evil: not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is good, though we should be as reprobates.
And our prayer to God is that you may do nothing wrong; not in order that our sincerity may be demonstrated, but that you may do what is right, even though our sincerity may seem to be doubtful.
Now I pray to God, that ye doe no euill, not that we should appeare approued, but that ye should doe that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
But I pray to God for you not to do evil, none; not that we may appear to be approved, but that you may do the good, and we may be disapproved.
I desyre before God yt ye do no euell: not yt we shulde seme comendable, but yt ye shulde do yt which is good, & let vs be as cast awayes.
now I pray God that I may not punish you; not that I may show you my proofs to your cost, but that by your acting honestly, I may be as if I had no proofs:
But I pray to God that you may do nothing wrong. Not so that we [and our teaching] may appear to be approved, but that you may continue doing what is right, even though we [by comparison] may seem to have failed.
Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate.
But we pray God that you may not do wrong--not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
I desyre before God that ye do none evyll not that we shuld seme comendable: but that ye shuld do that which is honest: and let vs be counted as leawde persones.
Now we pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is honorable, though we may be as reprobate.
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we should be as reprobates.
and I pray before God that ye do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is right, and we may be as disapproved;
We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. It is not important to see that we have passed the test, but it is important that you do what is right, even if it seems we have failed.
Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, but so that you may do what is right even if we may appear to have failed the test.
Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong-not that we will appear to have stood the test, but that you will do what is right, even if we appear to have failed.
We pray that you will stop doing evil things. We don't pray like this to make ourselves look good, but to get you to do right, even if we are failures.
And we pray to God that you will do nothing wrong. We are not concerned with our appearing successful, but with your doing what is right, even if we appear to be failures.
But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
Nowe I pray vnto God that yee doe none euill, not that we should seeme approued, but that ye should doe that which is honest: though we be as reprobates.
And I pray to God that our investigation will find nothing wrong with you; but that you may be found doing good things, even though we may appear as though we were rejected.
Now I pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is honorable, though we are as reprobate.
We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong - not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed.2 Corinthians 6:9;">[xr]
But I implore of Aloha that there may not be any thing in you that is evil, that our proving may be seen; but that you may do good, and that we may be as unproved.
And I beseech God, that there may be no evil in you, so that the proof of us may appear: and yet, that ye may be doers of good things, though we be as reprobates.
Now I [fn] pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified.
We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won't need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority.
We pray to God that you do no wrong. We do not pray this to show that our teaching is so great, but that you will keep on doing what is right, even if it looks as if we have done much wrong.
Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honourable, though we be as reprobate.
But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
But we pray unto God, that ye may do nothing base, - not that, we, may appear, accepted, but that, ye, the honourable thing, may be doing, even though, we, should be, as it were, rejected;
Now we pray God that you may do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is good and that we may be as reprobates.
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even though we are seen as though unqualified.
Truely I pray to God that ye do none euyll, not that we shoulde seeme approued: but yt ye shoulde do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.
We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Our concern here is not for people to see that we have passed the test in our work with you. Our main concern is that you do what is right, even if it looks as if we have failed the test.
Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong; not so that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, though we may appear unapproved.
We pray to God that you will do no wrong—not in order to show that we are a success, but so that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to be failures.
And we preien the Lord, that ye do no thing of yuel; not that we seme preued, but that ye do that that is good, and that we ben as repreuable.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
I pray: 2 Corinthians 13:9, 1 Chronicles 4:10, Matthew 6:13, John 17:15, Philippians 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Timothy 4:18
approved: 2 Corinthians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 10:18, Romans 16:10, 1 Corinthians 11:19, 2 Timothy 2:15, James 1:12,*Gr.
honest: 2 Corinthians 8:21, Romans 12:17, Romans 13:13, Philippians 4:8, 1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Peter 2:12
as reprobates: 2 Corinthians 6:8, 2 Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 10:10, 1 Corinthians 4:9-13
Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 25:39 - kept his servant 2 Corinthians 7:11 - approved 2 Corinthians 13:5 - reprobates
Cross-References
After Lot separated from him, God said to Abram, "Open your eyes, look around. Look north, south, east, and west. Everything you see, the whole land spread out before you, I will give to you and your children forever. I'll make your descendants like dust—counting your descendants will be as impossible as counting the dust of the Earth. So—on your feet, get moving! Walk through the country, its length and breadth; I'm giving it all to you."
Abram moved his tent. He went and settled by the Oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to God .
At the same time, Abraham confronted Abimelech over the matter of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had taken. Abimelech said, "I have no idea who did this; you never told me about it; this is the first I've heard of it."
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You've made my name stink to high heaven among the people here, these Canaanites and Perizzites. If they decided to gang up on us and attack, as few as we are we wouldn't stand a chance; they'd wipe me and my people right off the map."
"What you're doing is wrong. Is there no fear of God left in you? Don't you care what the nations around here, our enemies, think of you?
Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone. Stay away from mindless, pointless quarreling over genealogies and fine print in the law code. That gets you nowhere. Warn a quarrelsome person once or twice, but then be done with him. It's obvious that such a person is out of line, rebellious against God. By persisting in divisiveness he cuts himself off. As soon as I send either Artemas or Tychicus to you, come immediately and meet me in Nicopolis. I've decided to spend the winter there. Give Zenas the lawyer and Apollos a hearty send-off. Take good care of them. Our people have to learn to be diligent in their work so that all necessities are met (especially among the needy) and they don't end up with nothing to show for their lives. All here want to be remembered to you. Say hello to our friends in the faith. Grace to all of you.
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others? And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that." As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Now l pray to God,.... A strong mark of the apostle's affection for them. For though they used him so ill, he took every way and method to do them good; he not only wrote to them, sent the brethren to them, but put up his supplications at the throne of grace for them: The Alexandrian copy, the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, read, "we pray", c. And one of his petitions for them was,
that ye do no evil which, though impracticable and impossible, considering the situation of the people of God in this world, yet is desirable by every good man, both for himself and others; and was desired by the apostle, partly that their consciences might not be wounded, their souls grieved, their peace broke in upon, and their comforts lost; and partly that the name of God, and his cause and truths, might not be blasphemed; and chiefly that he might have no opportunity of exercising his apostolical rod for their correction:
not that we should appear approved. This was a clear case that he sought their good, and not his own credit, and the exercise of power; if they committed evil, his faithfulness would be seen in reproving, rebuking, and exhorting them; and if they continued impenitent, his apostolical authority would be manifest in their punishment, so that he would appear approved, or with a proof of the power of Christ in him; but this he did not desire, but most earnestly wished there might be no occasion for any such evidence:
but that they should do that which is honest; or "good", both in the sight of God and men, that which is according to the will of God, springs from love, is done in faith, and with a view to the glory of God; and the apostle's praying, both that they might be kept from evil, and do that which is good, shows the impotence of man's free will, the necessity of the grace of God to abstain from sin, and perform good works; and this the apostle earnestly desired,
though, says be,
we be as reprobates; weak and infirm persons, incapable of giving any proof of the power of Christ, and appear as such, who have no marks of apostolical authority. The apostle chose rather to be looked upon as a poor, mean, and insignificant person, than that they should sin, and require the exercise of his chastising rod, whereby he would be seen to be what they called in question.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Now I pray to God that ye do no evil - I earnestly desire that you may do right, and only right; and I beseech God that it may be so, whatever may be the result in regard to me, and whatever may be thought of my claims to the apostolic office. This is designed to mitigate the apparent severity of the sentiment in 2 Corinthians 13:6. There he had said that they would find him fully endowed with the power of an apostle. They would see that he was able abundantly to punish the disobedient. They would have ample demonstration that he was endowed by Christ with all the powers appropriate to an apostle, and that all that he had claimed had been well founded, all that he threatened would be executed. But this seemed to imply that he desired that there should be occasion for the exercise of that power of administering discipline; and he, therefore, in this verse, removes all suspicion that such was his wish, by saying solemnly, that he prayed to God that they might never do wrong; that they might never give him occasion for the exercise of his power in that way, though as a consequence he would be regarded as a reprobate, or as having no claims to the apostolic office. He would rather be regarded as an impostor; rather lie under the reproach of his enemies that he had no claims to the apostolic character, than that they, by doing wrong, should give him occasion to show that he was not a deceiver.
Not that we should appear approved - My great object, and my main desire, is not to urge my claims to the apostolic office and clear up my own character; it is that you should lead honest lives, whatever may become of me and my reputation.
Though we be as reprobates - I am willing to be regarded as rejected, disapproved, worthless, like base metal, provided you lead honest and holy lives. I prefer to be so esteemed, and to have you live as becomes Christians, than that you should dishonor your Christian profession, and thus afford me the opportunity of demonstrating, by inflicting punishment, that I am commissioned by the Lord Jesus to be an apostle. The sentiment is, that a minister of the gospel should desire that his people should walk worthy of their high calling, whatever may be the estimate in which he is held. He should never desire that they should do wrong - how can he do it? - in order that he may take occasion from their wrongdoing to vindicate, in any way, his own character, or to establish a reputation for skill in administering discipline or in governing a church. What a miserable condition it is - and as wicked as it is miserable - for a man to wish to take advantage of a state of disorder, or of the faults of others, in order to establish his own character, or to obtain reputation. Paul spurned and detested such a thought; yet it is to be feared it is sometimes done.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Corinthians 13:7. I pray to God that ye do no evil — That ye do not persist in that course which will oblige me to use the power of Christ, with which I am endued, to punish you. Some apply this prayer to the apostle himself: Now I pray to God that I may do YOU no evil-that I may not be obliged to use my apostolic rod, and inflict evil upon you.
Not that we should appear approved — We do not wish to give this proof that we are approved of God, by inflicting this punishment on the transgressors.
But that ye should do that which is honest — That ye may do that which is right and seemly, το καλον, though we should be, in consequence of that, as reprobates-as persons not approved of God; because your reformation will prevent the exercise of this power, which would otherwise have given an awful proof that we are approved of God.
