2 Corinthians 9:4

New King James Version

lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. [fn]

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
otherwise if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence.

Legacy Standard Bible
lest if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—be put to shame in this certainty of ours.

Simplified Cowboy Version
It would be an embarrassment to all of us if I showed up with some cowboys from Macedonia and y'all weren't ready after all.

Bible in Basic English
For fear that, if any from Macedonia come with me, and you are not ready, we (not to say, you) might be put to shame in this thing.

Darby Translation
lest haply, if Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, *we*, that we say not *ye*, may be put to shame in this confidence.

Christian Standard Bible®
For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be embarrassed in that situation.

World English Bible
so that I won't by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) should be put to shame in this confident boasting.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Lest if any of the Macedonians come with me, and find you unprepared, we (not to say, you) be ashamed of this confident boasting.

Weymouth's New Testament
for fear that, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we--not to say you yourselves--should be put to the blush in respect to this confidence.

King James Version (1611)
Lest happily if they of Macedonia come with mee, & find you vnprepared, wee (that wee say not, you) should bee ashamed in this same confident boasting.

Literal Translation
lest if Macedonians come with me and find you not ready, that we (we do not say you) should be ashamed in this assurance of boasting.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
lest whan they of Macedonia come with me, and fynde you vnprepared, we (I wyl not saye ye) shulde be ashamed in this presumpcion of boostinge.

Mace New Testament (1729)
for if the Macedonians should come with me, and find you unprepared, how shall I, not to say you, be ashamed for having had so little ground to boast of you?

Amplified Bible
otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of yourselves—will be humiliated for being so confident.

American Standard Version
lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.

Revised Standard Version
lest if some Macedo'nians come with me and find that you are not ready, we be humiliated--to say nothing of you--for being so confident.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
lest paraveture yf they of Macedonia come with me and fynde you vnprepared the boost that I made in this matter shuld be a shame to vs: I saye not vnto you.

Update Bible Version
lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we- not to mention you-should be put to shame in this confidence.

Webster's Bible Translation
Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

Young's Literal Translation
lest if Macedonians may come with me, and find you unprepared, we -- we may be put to shame (that we say not -- ye) in this same confidence of boasting.

New Century Version
If any of the people from Macedonia come with me and find that you are not ready, we will be ashamed that we were so sure of you. (And you will be ashamed, too!)

New English Translation
For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you.

Berean Standard Bible
Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we-to say nothing of you-would be ashamed of having been so confident.

Contemporary English Version
Some followers from Macedonia may come with me, and I want them to find that you have the money ready. If you don't, I would be embarrassed for trusting you to do this. But you would be embarrassed even more.

Complete Jewish Bible
For if some Macedonians were to come with me and find you unprepared, we would be humiliated at having been so confident — to say nothing of how you would feel.

English Standard Version
Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Lest if they of Macedonia come with me, and finde you vnprepared, we (that wee may not say, you) should be ashamed in this my constant boasting.

George Lamsa Translation
Lest it happen some Macedonians come with me, and find you unprepared and we would be ashamed for, because of our pride in you, we would not say anything which would put the blame on you.

Hebrew Names Version
so that I won't by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) should be put to shame in this confident boasting.

International Standard Version
Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated - to say nothing of you - in this undertaking.

Etheridge Translation
lest, if the Makedunoyee should come with me, and find you not ready, we be shamed-that I may not say, you be shamed-of the boasting which we have boasted.

Murdock Translation
so that, if the Macedonians should come with me, and should find you unprepared, we-not to say, ye-should be put to shame for that glorying in which we gloried.

New Living Translation
We would be embarrassed—not to mention your own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren't ready after all I had told them!

New Life Bible
What if some of the people of Macedonia came with me and found you were not ready to send your gift of money? We would all be ashamed since we have talked of you so much.

English Revised Version
lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.

New Revised Standard
otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lest by any means, if there should come with me Macedonians, and find you unprepared, we, - not to say, ye, - should be put to shame in this confidence.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Lest, when the Macedonians shall come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to say ye) should be ashamed in this matter.

King James Version
Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

Lexham English Bible
lest somehow if Macedonians should come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—would be humiliated in connection with this project.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Lest yf they of Macedonia come with me, and fynde you vnprepared, we (I wyll not say you) shoulde be ashamed in this matter of boastyng.

Easy-to-Read Version
If any of those from Macedonia come with me, and they find that you are not ready, we will be ashamed. We will be ashamed that we were so sure of you. And you will be ashamed too!

New American Standard Bible
otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame by this confidence.

Good News Translation
However, if the people from Macedonia should come with me and find out that you are not ready, how ashamed we would be—not to speak of your shame—for feeling so sure of you!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lest whanne Macedonyes comen with me, and fynden you vnredi, we be schamed, that we seien you not, in this substaunce.

Contextual Overview

¹ Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; ² for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. ³ Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; ⁴ lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. [fn] ⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they: 2 Corinthians 9:2, 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

be ashamed: 2 Corinthians 8:24, 2 Corinthians 11:17

Reciprocal: 2 Corinthians 9:3 - have 2 Corinthians 12:21 - my God Philippians 1:6 - confident 2 Thessalonians 1:4 - glory Hebrews 11:1 - substance

Cross-References

Genesis 9:10
and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth.

Genesis 9:14
It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

Leviticus 3:17
"This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood."'

Leviticus 7:26
Moreover you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast.

Leviticus 19:26
"You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying.

Deuteronomy 12:16
Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it on the earth like water.

Deuteronomy 12:23
Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat.

Deuteronomy 14:21
"You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your gates, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Deuteronomy 15:23
Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.

Acts 15:20
but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, [fn] from things strangled, and from blood.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me,.... The apostle had determined to come himself, though he was afterwards prevented by Providence, but could not be certain of the coming of the Macedonian brethren with him; however, as it was probable that some of them would come, whose hearts were so much in this work, therefore he judged it fit and proper to send the brethren before hand, in case they should come:

and find you unprepared; not so ready for this service as had been boasted of, and the collection not finished, which had been begun a year ago.

We (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting; or "in this same substance", or "subsistence of boasting": a boasting, which, he thought, they had the most solid and substantial ground and foundation to proceed upon; which, should it come to nothing, must cause shame both in the apostles, who had so largely, and with so much assurance, boasted of them; and in the Corinthians, who must be put to the blush, when it should be told them how much they had been boasted of with respect to their readiness, and yet were unprepared: so תוחלת, "hope", expectation, confidence, is rendered by the Septuagint καυχημα, "boasting", Proverbs 11:7 and in Psalms 39:5 υποστασις, the word here used. And some copies, and also the Vulgate Latin version, only read, "in this substance", or glorying, and leave out boasting as superfluous.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lest haply if they of Macedonia - If any of the Macedonians should happen to come with me, and should find that you had done nothing. He does not say that they would come with him, but it was by no means improbable that they would. It was customary for some of the members of the churches to travel with Paul from place to place, and the conversation was constant between Macedonia and Achaia. Paul had, therefore, every reason to suppose that some of the Macedonians would accompany him when he should go to Corinth. At all events it was probable that the Macedonians would learn from some quarter whether the Corinthians were or were not ready when Paul should go to them.

should be ashamed ...}We (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed ... - “In this,” says Bloomfield, “one cannot but recognize a most refined and delicate turn, inferior to none of the best Classical writers.” Paul had boasted confidently that the Corinthians would be ready with their collection. He had excited and stimulated the Macedonians by this consideration. He had induced them in this way to give liberally, 2 Corinthians 8:1-4. If now it should turn out after all that the Corinthians had given nothing, or had given stintedly, the character of Paul would suffer. His veracity and his judgment would be called in question, and he would be accused of trick, and artifice, and fraud in inducing them to give. Or if he should not be charged with dishonesty, yet he would be humbled and mortified himself that he had made representations which had proved to be so unfounded. But this was not all. The character of the Corinthians was also at stake. They had purposed to make the collection. They had left the impression in the mind of Paul that it would be done. They had hitherto evinced such a character as to make Paul confident that the collection would be made. If now by any means this should fail, their character would suffer, and they would have occasion to be ashamed that they had excited so confident expectations of what they would do.