Lectionary Year C
September 23, 2001
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation
Step I - (Initial) Acquaintance
A. Comparing Translations
(JFC) The Contemporary English Version, 1995, the New American Standard Bible (Update), 1995 and the New Revised Standard Version, 1989, differ slightly, as noted:
1 I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all, and tell God how thankful you are for each of them - CEV
then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, - NASB
then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, - NRSV
2 Pray for kings and others in power, - CEV
for kings and all who are in authority, - NASB
for kings and all who are in high positions - NRSV
quiet and peaceful lives as we worship and honor God. - CEV
a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. - NASB
a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. - NRSV
3 This kind of prayer is good, and it pleases God our Savior. - CEV
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. - NASB
This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. NRSV
4 God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, - CEV
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - NASB
who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - NRSV
5 There is only one God,
and Christ Jesus is the only one
who can bring us to God.
Jesus was truly human,
And he gave himself to rescue all of us. - CEV
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - NASB
For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, - NRSV
6 God showed us this at the right time. - CEV
who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. - NASB
who gave himself a ransom for all - this was attested at the right time. - NRSV
7 This is why God chose me to be a preacher and an apostle of the good news. - CEV
For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) - NASB
For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), - NRSV
God sent me to teach the Gentiles about the faith and truth. CEV
as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. - NASB
a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. NRSV
B. Textual Criticism
(JFC) 3 Several of the uncials important for I Timothy add gar, between tou/to and kalo.n. Others, however, retain the text as received. If we expect a run-on sentence here, the additional conjunction might have been original; it would be longer and slightly more difficult to copy, etc., with such an addition, as minor as it appears.
6 Some of the witnesses add ouv at the beginning of the second line of this verse, before to. martu,rion. The weight of the witnesses is only slight, yet, the addition might have been original inasmuch as it is almost difficult to include if the copyists were hurrying as might be expected. Then, at the end of this verse, after ivdi,oij, some witnesses add edoqh, an aorist, passive, indicative in the third person singular of the verb "to give", which fits here, it seems. Consequently, it could have been in the original manuscript, as a more difficult addition. However, the addition does make the verse longer, and, furthermore, it might be a miscopying of the word just preceding it, as well. So, what, the jury is still out?
7 Several important witnesses add evn Cristw, between le,gw and ouv yeu,domai,
obviously giving more credibility to the author's claim of truth telling. Nevertheless, many more witnesses retain the text as printed, which probably means it is original without the evn Cristw, here this time. And, Metzger (TCGNT) cautions against such regarding the longer reading being the original, citing "Through inadvertence several other variant readings occur in various minuscule manuscripts."
C. Rough Translation
(JFC) 1 I call first with all boldness to make petition, prayer, intercession, thanksgiving on behalf of all men; 2 on behalf of monarchs, and of all those who in authority are being, so that quiet and tranquil life we might spend in all godliness and dignity; 3 this good and acceptable in the sight of the one the Savior of ours of God, 4 whom all desires to be rescued (aorist, passive, infinitive) and then to/into the true knowledge to be appeared (aorist, passive, infinitive) alone.
5 For a divine God,
and a mediator of divine of God and of man
a man who has been anointed Christ Jesus,
6 who himself a ransom on behalf of all
the testimony/witness favorable time of ones' owns (genitive plural).
7 For this was placed I a herald and an apostle, truth I tell not am I being deceived (present, middle or passive, indicative), a teacher of Gentiles in faith and truth.
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