| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. | 1So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. |
| 2For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? | 2For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. |
| 3And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, 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 to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly 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 |
| 5But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. | 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. |
| 6This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, | 6Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. |
| 7so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. | 7Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. |
| 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. | 8So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. |
| 9For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. | 9I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. |
| 10Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes 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, |
| 11lest Satan should take 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 to me by 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 did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for 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 to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge 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 to God the fragrance of Christ 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 the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to 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 so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. 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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