| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. | 1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. |
| 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? | 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? |
| 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. | 3I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. |
| 4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. | 4For I wrote you 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. |
| 5Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. | 5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent--not to put it too severely. |
| 6For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, | 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. |
| 7so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. | 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. |
| 8So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. |
| 9For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. | 9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. |
| 10Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, | 10Anyone 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, |
| 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. | 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. |
| 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, | 12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, |
| 13my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. | 13I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. |
| 14But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. | 14But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. |
| 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, | 15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. |
| 16to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? | 16To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? |
| 17For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. | 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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