^6:3We do not give anyone³ an occasion for taking an offense in anything,⁴ so that no fault may be found with our ministry. ^6:4But as God’s servants,⁵ we have commended ourselves in every way,⁶ with great endurance, in persecutions,⁷ in difficulties, in distresses, ^6:5in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots,⁸ in troubles,⁹ in sleepless nights, in hunger, ^6:6by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit,¹⁰ by genuine¹¹ love, ^6:7by truthful¹² teaching,¹³ by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left,¹⁴^6:8through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors,¹⁵ and yet true; ^6:9as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet—see!—we continue to live; as those who are scourged¹⁶ and yet not executed; ^6:10as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

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Footnotes

3 The word “anyone” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
4 Other interpretations of the first part of 2 Cor 6:3 are possible. The phrase could also mean, “not putting an obstacle in the way of anyone” (L&N 22.14), or “giving no one in anything a cause to sin” (L&N 88.307).
5 Or “ministers.”
6 Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”
7 Or “in trouble and suffering.”
8 Or “rebellions” (uprisings in open defiance of civil authority).
9 Usually κόποις (kopois) has been translated as “labors” or “hard work,” but see Matt 26:10 where it means “trouble”; “distress” (L&N 22.7). In this context with so many other terms denoting suffering and difficulty, such a meaning is preferable.
10 Or “by holiness of spirit.”
11 Or “sincere.”
12 Grk “by the word of truth”; understanding ἀληθείας (alētheias) as an attributive genitive (“truthful word”).
13 Or “speech.” In this context it is more likely that λόγος (logos) refers to Paul’s message (thus “teaching”) than to his speech in general.
14 The phrase “for the right hand and for the left” possibly refers to a combination of an offensive weapon (a sword for the right hand) and a defensive weapon (a shield for the left).
15 Or “regarded as deceivers.”
16 Grk “disciplined,” but in this context probably a reference to scourging prior to execution (yet the execution is not carried out).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

We are not giving anyone an occasion for offense, so that the ministry will not be blamed. Instead, as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardships, by difficulties, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; regarded as deceivers, yet true; as unknown, yet recognized; as dying, yet see—we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed; as grieving, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet enriching many; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

NLTNew Living Translation

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

We are giving no one an occasion for taking offense in anything, in order that our ministry will not have fault found with it, but commending ourselves as servants of God in every way, in much endurance, in afflictions, in distresses, in difficulties, in beatings, in prisons, in disturbances, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in going hungry, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love without hypocrisy, in the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and left hand, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good repute, regarded as deceivers and yet truthful, as unknown and yet known completely, as dying, and behold, we go on living, as disciplined, and yet not put to death, as grieving, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and possessing everything.

KJV 1900King James Version

Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

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