complete verse (2 Corinthians 11:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of 2 Corinthians 11:15:

  • Uma: “So we aren’t amazed if the King of Evil-ones’ workers conceal their evil behavior and act as if they are workers that follow God’s desires. But in the end, they will get the pay-back that is in keeping with their actions.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore it is no wonder if the servants of the leader of demons pretend that they are people who do right/straight. But the outcome is they will be punished fitting to their bad doings.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore we (incl.) should not be surprised if the servants of Satan can also make themselves like the righteous servants of God. However, they will be punished in the future according to their bad deeds.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And if he is capable of that, it is not surprising if those who serve him appear as if they are righteous-ones who serve God. But what will happen to them in a future day, it will be based-on/according-to the evil that they have done.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore don’t be amazed at what those there who are falsely-claiming-to-be-apostles are saying, that they are servants of God who are leading people to righteousness, whereas they are servants of Satanas. This really is what will happen to them, God will punish (them) according to this evil that they are doing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Therefore it is clear that the people who are the devil’s workers also can cause that on the outside they appear to do good. But concerning their lives, at the end there will be a payment for what they do.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

righteous, righteousness

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The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “upright(ness)” and “just(ice)”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)

Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:

  • Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré, Chokwe (ululi), Amganad Ifugao, Chol, Eastern Maninkakan, Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona, Batak Toba, Bilua, Tiv: “be straight”
  • Laka: “follow the straight way” or “to straight-straight” (a reduplicated form for emphasis)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “walk straight”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Kekchí, Muna: “have a straight heart”
  • Kipsigis: “do the truth”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “do according to the truth”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “have truth”
  • Yine: “fulfill what one should do”
  • Indonesian: “be true”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “do just so”
  • Anuak: “do as it should be”
  • Mossi: “have a white stomach” (see also happiness / joy)
  • Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • (San Mateo del Mar Huave: “completely good” (the translation does not imply sinless perfection)
  • Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
  • Central Subanen: “wise-good” (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “live well”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “goodness before the face of God” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl: “the result of heart-straightening” (source: Nida 1947, p. 224)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “entirely good” (when referred to God), “do good” or “not be a debtor as God sees one” (when referred to people)
  • Carib: “level”
  • Tzotzil: “straight-hearted”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “right and straight”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Makonde: “doing what God wants” (in a context of us doing) and “be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) (note that justify / justification is translated as “to be made good in the eyes of God.” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “having sin taken away” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 144)
  • Nyamwezi: wa lole: “just” or “someone who follows the law of God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Venda: “nothing wrong, OK” (Source: J.A. van Roy in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. )
  • Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
  • Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)
  • German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Gerechtheit, a neologism to differentiate it from the commonly-used Gerechtigkeit which can mean “righteousness” but is more often used in modern German as “fairness” (Berger / Nord especially use Gerechtheit in Letter to the Romans) or Gerechtestun, also a neologism, meaning “righteous deeds” (especially in Letter to the Ephesians)
  • “did what he should” (Eastern Highland Otomi)
  • “a clear man, good [man]” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), devout, and She is more in the right(eous) than I.

Translation commentary on 2 Corinthians 11:15

So: the transition word here indicates the logical inference of what has just been said about Satan. It may also be rendered “Then” (New Jerusalem Bible and New International Version) or “Therefore” (Barclay and Anchor Bible).

It is not strange: or, more literally, “nothing so great.” The meaning here is not very different from the first words in the previous verse, “no wonder.” Anchor Bible has “it is … no great surprise.” Similarly New Jerusalem Bible has “it is nothing extraordinary.”

The words his servants, that is, the servants of Satan, refer to the false apostles. Servants here is diakonoi, this time used in a context of evil.

Servants of righteousness: righteousness here probably does not have the theological connotation that it frequently has in Paul’s writings. The meaning is more general here, that they disguise themselves “as agents of good” (Revised English Bible) or “servants of uprightness” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Their end will correspond to their deeds: literally “the end of whom will be according to their works.” The idea of ultimate punishment is clearly implied here. The Good News Translation rendering “In the end” may be easily misunderstood to mean “In the last days.” But what is involved here is the end of these servants of Satan. The idea is more like “they will end up getting the punishment which they deserve.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellingworth, Paul. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .