| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1So I made up my own mind not to pay you another painful visit. | 1In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit. |
| 2For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused to be sad? | 2For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me? |
| 3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours. | 3I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn't have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours. |
| 4For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you. | 4For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart--not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you. |
| 5But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well. | 5If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree--not to exaggerate--to all of you. |
| 6This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, | 6The punishment inflicted by the majority is sufficient for that person. |
| 7so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair. | 7As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. |
| 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. |
| 9For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in everything. | 9I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. |
| 10If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him--for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ, | 10If you forgive anyone, I do too. For what I have forgiven--if I have forgiven anything--it is for you in the presence of Christ. |
| 11so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes). | 11I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes. |
| 12Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me, | 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, the Lord opened a door for me. |
| 13I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them and set out for Macedonia. | 13I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia. |
| 14But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place. | 14But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. |
| 15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing-- | 15For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. |
| 16to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? | 16To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this? |
| 17For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God. | 17For we are not like the many who market God's message for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God. |
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