2 Because of that, I decided not to visit you again at that time. I did not want to make you sad. 2 You are the only people who can make me happy. So, if I make you sad, there will be nobody to make me happy. 3 That is why I did not visit you. I wrote that letter to you instead. You are the people who should make me happy. I did not want you to make me sad when I visited you. I felt sure about all of you. I knew that, if I was happy, then all of you would be happy too.
4 When I wrote that letter, I was very sad and upset. I cried a lot. I did not want to make you sad. Instead, I wanted you to know that I love you very much.
5 Someone among you has done things that have made other people sad. That person has made me sad. But really he has made all of you much more sad than me. I do not want to say more about this than is necessary. 6 Most of you have agreed to punish him. That should be enough. 7 Now, you should forgive him. You should comfort him. If you do not do that, he may become too sad. He may not be able to think properly. 8 So I tell you this: Please show him that you really do love him.
9 When I wrote that letter to you, I wanted to know what you would do. I wanted to see if you would do everything that I told you. 10 When you forgive anyone, I also forgive that person. Whatever bad thing somebody has done, I have Christ's authority to forgive them. And I do it to help you. 11 We do not want Satan to win against us. He is very clever. We know how he likes to cause us to have trouble.
12 I went to Troas city to tell people the good news about Christ. [ a ] When I arrived there, I discovered that the Lord had already prepared people to listen. 13 But I was not happy in my thoughts because I could not find my friend Titus there. So I said ‘goodbye’ to those people and I travelled on to Macedonia.
14 But I thank God! He has won against sin, because of what Christ has done. Christ is our leader and we show that he is the winner. We also help people to know about Christ. That knowledge is like a lovely smell that comes to people everywhere. 15 When we tell people about Christ, we are like a lovely smell that rises up to God. We are like that among the people that God is saving. We are also like that among the people who are dying because they are far from God. 16 For the people who are dying, we are like a bad smell that brings a message of death. But for the people that God is saving, we are like a lovely smell that brings a message of new life.
Nobody is really good enough to tell such an important message! 17 Some people even tell God's message because they want to get a lot of money for themselves. But we are not like them. No, God himself has sent us to do this work. And he sees what we are doing. So we are honest and we speak God's message clearly, as Christ's servants should do.
2 So I decided that my next visit to you would not be another visit to make you sad. 2 If I make you sad, then who will make me happy? Only you can make me happy—you, the ones I made sad. 3 I wrote you a letter so that when I came to you I would not be made sad by those who should make me happy. I felt sure that all of you would share my joy. 4 When I wrote to you before, I was very troubled and my heart was full of sadness. I wrote with many tears. I did not write to make you sad, but to let you know how much I love you.
5 Someone in your group has caused sadness—not to me, but to all of you. I mean he has caused sadness to all in some way. (I don’t want to make it sound worse than it really is.) 6 The punishment that most of your group gave him is enough for him. 7 But now you should forgive him and encourage him. This will keep him from having too much sadness and giving up completely. 8 So I beg you to show him that you love him. 9 This is why I wrote to you. I wanted to test you and see if you obey in everything. 10 If you forgive someone, then I also forgive them. And what I have forgiven—if I had anything to forgive—I forgave it for you, and Christ was with me. 11 I did this so that Satan would not win anything from us. We know very well what his plans are.
12 I went to Troas to tell people the Good News of Christ. The Lord gave me a good opportunity there. 13 But I had no peace because I did not find my brother Titus. So I said goodbye and went to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. 15 Our offering to God is to be the perfume of Christ that goes out to those who are being saved and to those who are being lost. 16 To those who are being lost, this perfume smells like death, and it brings them death. But to those who are being saved, it has the sweet smell of life, and it brings them life. So who is good enough to do this work? 17 Certainly not those who are out there selling God’s message for a profit! But we don’t do that. With Christ’s help we speak God’s truth honestly, knowing that we must answer to him.
2 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness.
2 For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me?
3 And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
5 But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all.
6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many.
7 So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
2 But I decided this [ a ] for my own sake, that I ( A ) would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I ( B ) cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 3 This is the very thing I ( C ) wrote you, so that ( D ) when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having ( E ) confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I ( F ) wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
5 But ( G ) if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not for me, but in some degree— [ b ] not to say too much—for all of you. 6 Sufficient for such a person is ( H ) this punishment which was imposed by the majority, 7 so that on the other hand, you should rather ( I ) forgive and comfort him , otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end ( J ) I also wrote, so that I might [ c ] ( K ) put you to the test, whether you are ( L ) obedient in all things. 10 But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive ; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes ( M ) in the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by ( N ) Satan, for ( O ) we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12 Now when I came to ( P ) Troas for the ( Q ) gospel of Christ and when a ( R ) door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 I ( S ) had no rest for my spirit, not finding ( T ) Titus my brother; but ( U ) saying goodbye to them, I went on to ( V ) Macedonia.
14 ( W ) But thanks be to God, who always ( X ) leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the ( Y ) fragrance of the ( Z ) knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a ( AA ) fragrance of Christ to God among ( AB ) those who are being saved and among those who are perishing: 16 ( AC ) to the one an [ d ] aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is ( AD ) adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like the many, [ e ] ( AE ) peddling the word of God, but ( AF ) as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ ( AG ) in the sight of God.
2 1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. ( A ) 2 For if I grieve you, ( B ) who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did, ( C ) so that when I came I would not be distressed ( D ) by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence ( E ) in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you ( F ) out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
5 If anyone has caused grief, ( G ) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment ( H ) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, ( I ) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you ( J ) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. ( K ) 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan ( L ) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. ( M )
12 Now when I went to Troas ( N ) to preach the gospel of Christ ( O ) and found that the Lord had opened a door ( P ) for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, ( Q ) because I did not find my brother Titus ( R ) there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. ( S )
14 But thanks be to God, ( T ) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma ( U ) of the knowledge ( V ) of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma ( W ) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. ( X ) 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; ( Y ) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? ( Z ) 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. ( AA ) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, ( AB ) as those sent from God. ( AC )
