The first part of this verse, we labor …, concludes the list which Paul began in verse 11; the rest, from When reviled, begins another series of three contrasts which continue into verse 13.

The relation between the two expressions we labor and working with our own hands is not certain. The second phrase may expand the first so that “work” and “labor” would mean the same. That is how most translations understand the words. For example, Revised English Bible has “we wear ourselves out earning a living with our own hands” (similarly New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). However, it is also possible that labor refers to Paul’s work as an apostle, so that the full meaning would be “We work with our own hands while bearing all the burden of our work as apostles” (see, for example, 15.10; 16.16). Paul is no doubt thinking of his work as a tentmaker to support himself (see 9.6, 12, 15-18), but he suggests that other apostles also worked with their hands.

With our own hands is a literal translation of the Greek, but in some languages a literal translation would be impossible because it would suggest a contrast with “working with someone else’s hands.” In such a case the translator could use an expression referring to manual labor.

The three following contrasts have the form “being cursed, we bless,” and so on. It is good to use a time reference to show the relation between each pair of verbs. Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible accomplish this with the word When. Another way of showing this time relationship is by saying “Although we are cursed, we bless.” These verbs refer to repeated events, not to a single act of cursing or blessing. Bless may also be rendered as “say good things to” or “ask God to be good to.” Cursing and blessing generally involve speaking in such a way as to cause harm or good to someone, often by using the name of God. However, the word translated reviled has the meaning of “abuse” or “insult.” Good News Bible‘s “curse” is perhaps too narrow in meaning. Another way of saying this is “say bad things about.”

Endure implies the object “persecution.” In more colloquial English we can say “we put up with it” (so Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt, An American Translation); New Jerusalem Bible “we endure it passively.”

The last part of this verse can be rendered as “When people insult us, we bless them; when they persecute us, we are able to endure this persecution.”

Quoted with permission from Ellingworth, Paul and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, 2nd edition. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1985/1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .