2 Corinthians 2

1 For my own sake, as well, I decided not to pay you another painful visit.

Actually, I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.

2 If it is I who cause you pain, why, who is there to cheer me, except the very person whom I am paining?

For if I make you sorrowful, then who will make me glad, besides the one whom I made sorrowful?

3 So I wrote as I did, for fear that, if I had come, I should have been pained by those who ought to have made me glad; for I felt sure that it was true of you all that my joy was in every case yours also.

And I wrote this very thing to you so as not to have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice, when I come, having confidence in you all that my joy is also yours.

4 I wrote to you in sore trouble and distress of heart and with many tears, not to give you pain, but to let you see how intense a love I have for you.

Now I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart, with many tears, not that you should be made sorrowful, but that you might know the greatness of my love for you.

5 Now whoever has caused the pain has not so much pained me, as he has, to some extent — not to be too severe — pained every one of you.

So, if anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has all of you, to some extent—not to be too ‘heavy’.

6 The man to whom I refer has been sufficiently punished by the penalty inflicted by the majority of you;

This punishment that was inflicted by the majority is sufficient to such a one,

7 so that now you must take the opposite course, and forgive and encourage him, or else he may be overwhelmed by the intensity of his pain.

so that now, on the other side, you should forgive and comfort him, so that he not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

8 So I entreat you to assure him of your love.

Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

9 I had this further object, also, in what I wrote — to ascertain whether you might be relied upon to be obedient in everything.

Now I also wrote to this end: to put you to the test, to see whether you are obedient in all things.

10 When you forgive a man anything, I forgive him, too. Indeed, for my part, whatever I have forgiven (if I have had to forgive anything), I have forgiven for your sakes, in the presence of Christ,

If you forgive anyone, I do too; further, if indeed I have forgiven anything to someone, I have done so for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

11 so as to prevent Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

so that we not be exploited by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions.

12 When I went to the district round Troas to tell the Good News of the Christ, even though there was an opening for serving the Master,

Also, upon arriving in Troas for the Gospel of Christ, a door having been opened to me by Sovereign,

13 I could get no peace of mind because I failed to find Titus, my Brother; so I took leave of the people there, and went on to Macedonia.

I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; so taking leave of them I went on into Macedonia.

14 All thanks to God, who, through our union with the Christ, leads us in one continual triumph, and uses us to spread the sweet odour of the knowledge of him in every place.

Now thanks be to the God who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.

15 For we are the fragrance of Christ ascending to God — both among those who are in the path of Salvation and among those who are in the path to Ruin.

Because we are the aroma of Christ for God, among those who are being saved and among those who are being wasted—

16 To the latter we are an odour which arises from death and tells of Death; to the former an odour which arises from life and tells of Life. But who is equal to such a task?

to these a smell of death into death, while to those a fragrance of life into life—and who is adequate for such things?

17 Unlike many people, we are not in the habit of making profit out of God’s Message; but in all sincerity, and bearing God’s commission, we speak before him in union with Christ.

However, we are not like the rest who retail the word of God; rather, we speak in Christ, out of sincerity, as of God in His very presence.