| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. | 1So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. |
| 2For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but the same which is made sorry by me? | 2For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. |
| 3And 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. | 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 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. | 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 |
| 5But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. | 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. |
| 6Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. | 6Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. |
| 7So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. | 7Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. |
| 8Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. | 8So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. |
| 9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. | 9I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. |
| 10To 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; | 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, |
| 11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. | 11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. |
| 12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of 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. |
| 13I 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. | 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 |
| 14Now 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. | 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 unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: | 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 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? | 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 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. | 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. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | 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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