| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. | 1So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. |
| 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? | 2For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone 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. | 3That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. |
| 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. | 4I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you. Forgiveness for the Sinner |
| 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. | 5I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. |
| 6For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, | 6Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. |
| 7so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. | 7Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. |
| 8So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8So I urge you now 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. | 9I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. |
| 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, | 10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, |
| 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. | 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. |
| 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, | 12When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity 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. | 13But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him. Ministers of the New Covenant |
| 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 thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. |
| 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, | 15Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by 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 those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? |
| 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. | 17You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us. |
| 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. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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