Since what is said in this verse is in response to the appeal of the previous verse, it is quite legitimate to translate the verb said by “answer” as in Good News Translation. In many languages this will be seen as more natural.

My grace is sufficient for you: in Greek the word order is literally “Sufficient for you my grace,” placing emphasis on the words sufficient for you. Though the “thorn” was a hindrance or difficulty for Paul, God’s unmerited favor, his grace, was greater than the difficulty caused by the thorn. Some possible models for this expression are “my kindness is all you need” (Contemporary English Version) or “my grace is enough, more than enough, for you” (God’s New Covenant).

For my power is made perfect in weakness: literally “for power is made perfect in weakness.” Though many manuscripts read “my power,” the editors of the UBS Greek New Testament consider the possessive pronoun my to be an addition by scribes. New Revised Standard Version follows the UBS Greek New Testament: “for power is made perfect in weakness” (so also Revised English Bible). Since this “power” is identified as the power of Christ at the end of verse 9, and since Christ is the one who speaks in 12.9a (see Lord in 12.8), it seems certain that Paul is not talking about power in general but rather about the power of Christ, that is, my power. Therefore it is appropriate to follow Revised Standard Version here.

Is made perfect: this verb involves two difficult problems for many translators: (1) the form is passive, and (2) it is often difficult to find an equivalent to express the idea of perfection, especially perfection of power. With regard to the passive form, it may be avoided in many languages by using the verb “become.” The resulting translation will be something like “my power becomes perfect in weakness.” On the second point, there is no notion here of moral perfection; rather it is one of fulfillment or making complete. The power of Christ is made complete when a person is weak and depends on him.

In some languages the direct discourse used here will be better rendered as indirect: “But he answered that his grace would be all that I would ever need, and that his power is complete when a person recognizes that he is weak.”

That the power of Christ may rest upon me: the verb rest upon has the sense of “enter or take up residence in [a tent].” It is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. But Paul does not mean that his boasting has actually caused the power of Christ to start living in him. Rather he is stressing that boasting of his weaknesses makes the fact of Christ’s presence in him apparent to others. While the God’s New Covenant “may come and enshrine itself in me” is hardly common language, it does attempt to capture the idea of the verb. At a different level of language, New Century Version says simply “can live in me.” Contemporary English Version restructures the last part of this verse, saying “so if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am.” But although this structure may be helpful as a model, it considerably weakens the meaning of the verb.

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 .