2 Corinthiens 1
La Bible du Semeur
Salutation
1 Paul, apôtre de Jésus-Christ par la volonté de Dieu, et le frère Timothée, saluent l’Eglise de Dieu qui est à Corinthe[a] ainsi que tous les membres du peuple saint dans l’ensemble de l’Achaïe[b].
2 Que la grâce et la paix vous soient accordées par Dieu notre Père et par le Seigneur Jésus-Christ.
Prière de reconnaissance
3 Béni soit Dieu, le Père de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, le Père qui est plein de bonté, le Dieu qui réconforte dans toutes les situations. 4 Il nous réconforte dans toutes nos détresses, afin qu’à notre tour nous soyons capables de réconforter ceux qui passent par toutes sortes de détresses, en leur apportant le réconfort que Dieu nous a apporté.
5 De même, en effet, que les souffrances de Christ surabondent dans notre vie, le réconfort qu’il nous donne surabonde. 6 Si donc nous passons par la détresse, c’est pour votre réconfort et votre salut. Et si nous sommes réconfortés, c’est pour que vous receviez, vous aussi, du réconfort afin de pouvoir supporter les mêmes souffrances que celles que nous endurons.
7 Et nous possédons à votre sujet une ferme espérance. Car nous savons que si vous avez part aux souffrances, vous avez aussi part au réconfort. 8 Il faut, en effet, que vous sachiez, frères et sœurs, quelle détresse nous avons connue dans la province d’Asie[c]. Nous étions écrasés, à bout de forces, au point même que nous désespérions de conserver la vie.
9 Nous avions accepté en nous-mêmes notre condamnation à mort. Cela nous a appris à ne pas mettre notre confiance en nous-mêmes, mais uniquement en Dieu qui ressuscite les morts. 10 C’est lui qui nous a délivrés d’une telle mort et qui nous en délivrera encore. Oui, nous avons cette espérance en lui qu’il nous délivrera encore, 11 et vous y contribuez en priant pour nous. Ainsi, le don de la grâce qu’il nous accorde en réponse aux prières de beaucoup, sera aussi pour beaucoup une occasion de remercier Dieu à notre sujet.
Les problèmes de relations entre Paul et les Corinthiens
L’ajournement de la visite de Paul
12 S’il est une chose dont nous pouvons être fiers, c’est le témoignage de notre conscience ; il nous atteste que nous nous sommes conduits dans le monde, et tout spécialement envers vous, avec la sincérité[d] et la pureté qui viennent de Dieu, en nous fondant, non sur une sagesse purement humaine, mais sur la grâce de Dieu. 13 Car ce que nous vous écrivons dans nos lettres ne veut pas dire autre chose que ce que vous pouvez y lire et y comprendre. Et j’espère que vous le comprendrez pleinement 14 – comme vous l’avez déjà compris en partie : vous pouvez être fiers de nous, comme nous le serons de vous au jour de notre Seigneur Jésus.
15 Persuadé que telle était votre pensée, je m’étais proposé de me rendre chez vous en premier lieu, afin de vous procurer une double joie[e] : 16 je comptais passer par chez vous en allant en Macédoine, puis revenir de Macédoine[f] chez vous. Vous auriez alors pu m’aider à poursuivre mon voyage vers la Judée[g].
17 En formant ce projet, ai-je fait preuve de légèreté ? Ou bien mes plans seraient-ils inspirés par des motifs purement humains, en sorte que lorsque je dis « oui », cela pourrait être « non »[h] ?
18 Aussi vrai que Dieu est digne de confiance, je vous le garantis : la parole que nous vous avons adressée n’est pas à la fois « oui » et « non ». 19 Car Jésus-Christ, le Fils de Dieu, que moi-même comme Silvain[i] et Timothée nous avons proclamé parmi vous, n’a pas été à la fois oui et non. En lui était le oui : 20 car c’est en lui que Dieu a dit « oui » à tout ce qu’il avait promis. Aussi est-ce par lui que nous disons « oui », « amen », pour que la gloire revienne à Dieu. 21 C’est Dieu, en effet, qui nous a fermement unis avec vous à Christ et qui nous a consacrés à lui par son onction. 22 Et c’est encore Dieu qui nous a marqués de son sceau, comme sa propriété, et qui a mis dans notre cœur son Esprit comme acompte des biens à venir.
23 Pourquoi donc ne suis-je pas encore revenu à Corinthe ? J’en prends Dieu à témoin sur ma vie : c’est parce que je voulais vous ménager ; 24 notre rôle n’est pas de dominer sur votre foi, mais de collaborer ensemble à votre joie, car vous tenez ferme dans la foi.
Footnotes
- 1.1 Cette lettre a été envoyée de Macédoine (voir note 1.16) environ deux années après 1 Corinthiens.
- 1.1 Province romaine occupant la moitié sud de la Grèce.
- 1.8 Province romaine à l’ouest de l’Asie Mineure ; capitale : Ephèse. Nous ne savons pas à quelle épreuve l’apôtre fait allusion. C’était certainement un danger plus grave que l’épisode mentionné en Ac 19.23-40.
- 1.12 Certains manuscrits ont : sainteté.
- 1.15 Certains manuscrits ont : un bienfait.
- 1.16 Province romaine occupant la moitié nord de la Grèce ; capitale : Thessalonique où il y avait une Eglise ainsi qu’à Philippes et à Bérée.
- 1.16 Sur ce projet, voir 1 Co 16.5-9.
- 1.17 On avait reproché à Paul de modifier ses plans de voyage au gré de sa fantaisie.
- 1.19 Appelé aussi Silas. Un collaborateur de Paul ayant fait partie, comme Timothée, de l’équipe qui avait évangélisé Corinthe (voir Ac 15.22-40 ; 16.19-29 ; 18.1-5 ; 1 P 5.12).
2 Corinthians 1
EasyEnglish Bible
Paul says ‘Hello’
1 This letter is from me, Paul. God chose me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Our Christian friend Timothy is here with me as I write.
I am sending this letter to you, the people of the church in Corinth city. I am sending it also to all of God's people who live in other places in Achaia.
2 I pray that God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. I pray that they will give you peace in your minds.
God himself comforts us
3 We thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because he is so good to us. As our Father, he is very kind to us. He is our God who comforts us in every way. 4 Whenever we have trouble, he comforts us. Because of that, we ourselves can comfort other people. When they have any kind of trouble, we can comfort them, in the same way that God has comforted us. 5 Christ himself received much pain, and God comforted him. As Christ's servants, we also receive the same kind of pain. But, God also comforts us very much, because we belong to Christ.
6 So, when we receive trouble, the result is that we can comfort you. And then also, God saves you. When God comforts us, that helps us to comfort you too. As a result, when you receive the same kinds of trouble that we receive, you learn to be patient and strong. 7 So we continue to be sure that you will remain strong. You receive many troubles, as we do too. But we know that God will also comfort you, as he comforts us.
8 Our Christian friends, we want you to know about the trouble that we had in Asia. Those troubles were very painful. We ourselves were not strong enough to continue. We even thought that we would die. 9 We ourselves thought that we would certainly die. We knew that we could not trust our own strength. We had to trust God. He is the one who causes dead people to rise up to new life. So we could trust him to make us strong. 10 We nearly died, but God saved us from that great danger. We know that we can continue to trust him. He will save us from any future danger. 11 We also know that you continue to help us as you pray for us. As many people pray for us, they will thank God when he answers their prayers. They will see that God is very kind to us, and they will thank him.
Paul explains why he did not visit Corinth earlier
12 We can be proud of how we have lived in this world. We have been careful to be honest and good with everyone. And we have been like that with you even more. We are sure in our own minds that this is true. We have not tried to be clever in a human way. But we have lived in the way that God has helped us to live. 13 We are writing to you only about things that you yourselves can read and understand. And I hope that you will understand completely one day. 14 You do not understand us completely yet. But I hope that you will understand completely on the day when our Lord Jesus returns. Then you can be proud of us in the same way that we will be proud of you.
15-16 So, because I was sure that you trusted me, I wanted to visit you twice. Then I could bring God's help to you twice. I decided to visit you first on my way to Macedonia.[a] Then I would visit you again on my way back from Macedonia. After that, you could help to send me on my journey to Judea.[b] 17 I did not decide this in a careless way. I really wanted to do it. I do not decide to do things only to please myself, like someone who does not know God. I do not say ‘Yes,’ and then I immediately say ‘No’.
18 God always does what he says he will do. In the same way, my promise to you was not both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. 19 Silas, Timothy and I told you the message about God's Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is not someone who changes his message between ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. Instead, he always says ‘Yes,’ and he does what he says. 20 Christ says ‘Yes’ to all of God's promises, so that they become true. So when we pray, we say ‘Yes, amen!,’ because we know that Christ has done it. And when we do that, we are saying that God is great.
21 It is God that causes us to continue to trust Christ. He does that for us and for you, because we belong to Christ. God has chosen us to serve him. 22 He has also put his mark on us, to show that we belong to him. He has given his Spirit to us, to live in us. Because of that, we know that we will receive all the good things that God has promised.
23 God will show that what I say is true! He knows my thoughts. Why did I decide not to come back to Corinth at this time? I did not come because I did not want to be angry with you. 24 We are not trying to tell you what you must believe, like masters would do. You are already strong in your spirits because you trust God. So we want to help you to be really happy.
2 Corinthians 1
King James Version
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
13 For we write none other things unto you, that what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end;
14 As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are our's in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit;
16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea.
17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?
18 But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
23 Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.
24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.
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