2 Kolinitō 2

1 Ka naʻe pau hoku loto ki he meʻa ni, ʻe ʻikai te u toe ʻalu atu kiate kimoutolu ʻi he mamahi.

Anyway, I definitely decided that I would not come to visit you again [now. If I had come, I would have spoken severely to you again, and] I would have made you unhappy as I did the last time [I visited you].

2 He kapau ʻoku ou fakamamahiʻi ʻakimoutolu, pea ko hai ia ʻoku ne fakafiefiaʻi au, ka ko ia kuo fakamamahiʻi ʻiate au?

[And] if I make you unhappy, I will have made unhappy [the only people who can cheer me up], so (there will be none of you to cheer me up!/who would cheer me up?) [RHQ]

3 Ko ia ne u tohi ai ʻae meʻa ko ia kiate kimoutolu, telia naʻa ʻi heʻeku hoko atu, teu mamahi meiate kinautolu ʻoku totonu ke u fiefia ai; pea ʻoku ou falala kiate kimoutolu kotoa pē, ko ʻeku fiefia ko e fiefia ia ʻo kimoutolu kotoa pē.

So, [instead of going to visit you at that time], I wrote a letter [and sent it to you]. I wrote it the way I did so that [you would know what you should do. Then] when I come to visit you, you will not make me unhappy when you should be causing me to rejoice. I was quite sure that all of you [would do what I told you to do in that letter, and because of that] I would be happy and you would be happy, too.

4 He ne u tohi atu kiate kimoutolu ʻi he mamahi lahi mo e feinga loto mo e loʻimata lahi: ka naʻe ʻikai ke mou mamahi ai, ka koeʻuhi ke mou ʻilo ʻae ʻofa ʻoku ou maʻu ʻo lahi ʻaupito kiate kimoutolu.

I wrote to you [the way I did] because I felt very troubled and distressed about you. I was even crying very much as I wrote. [My purpose in writing was] not in order to make you feel bad, but, instead, in order that you might know how deeply/much I love you.

5 Pea kapau kuo fai fakamamahi ʻe ha taha, ʻoku ʻikai teu mamahi au, kae ʻi he niʻihi pe: ke ʻoua naʻaku fakamāfasia ʻakimoutolu kotoa pē.

[Now I want to write about the man who] caused all this anguish. [What he did was very wrong, but] I know that it has caused you much more sorrow than it has caused me, because [what he did] has [affected] all of you [to some extent. I say], “to some extent,” [because I do not want to say that he has] done more harm [than he really has done].

6 Pea kuo lahi ki he tokotaha ko ia ʻa ʻetau tautea ni, ʻaia naʻe ʻai ʻe he tokolahi.

[Since he has now stopped sinning in that way], the punishment that nearly all of you [decided was right for him] has continued long enough.

7 Ko ia ke ʻoua, ka mou fakamolemole muʻa, pea fakafiemālieʻi ia, telia naʻa fōngia hifo ʻae tokotaha ko ia ʻi he mamahi lahi.

So now, instead [of punishing him any longer], you need to forgive him and deal kindly with him. [If you do not forgive him], he may become so sad that he will begin to [think that you will never forgive him] (OR, will stop [believing in Christ]).

8 Ko ia ʻoku ou kole atu kiate kimoutolu ke mou fakamoʻoni ʻae ʻofa kiate ia.

For those reasons, I beg you to [forgive him and accept him into your group again, and by doing that] assure him that you truly love him.

9 He ko e meʻa ko ia naʻaku tohi ai foki, koeʻuhi ke u ʻilo ai ha fakaʻilonga kiate kimoutolu, pe ʻoku mou talangofua ki he ngaahi meʻa kotoa pē.

[I feel sure that you will do as I ask], because when I wrote [severely] to you [before], I did it to test you by finding out whether or not you really would do everything [that I, as your apostle, asked you to do].

10 Ko ia ʻoku mou fakamolemole ha meʻa ki ai, ʻoku ou [fakamolemolea ]foki: pea ko ia kuo u fakamolemolea, ʻo kapau ne u fakamolemolea ha meʻa, [naʻaku fai ]ia koeʻuhi ko kimoutolu ʻi he ʻao ʻo Kalaisi;

So [since you obeyed what I told you before, I feel sure that now you will obey what I am writing in this letter] and forgive the man, as I have done, because I indeed have forgiven him for the wrong thing that he did. Anything he needed me to forgive him for, I have forgiven, and Christ knows [that I have forgiven him sincerely. I have done that mainly] to help you [so that you and I will again have fellowship with each other, and that you will accept him into your group again].

11 Telia naʻa kākaaʻi ʻakitautolu ʻe Sētane: he ʻoku ʻikai te tau vale ki heʻene ngaahi filioʻi.

[I want you to forgive him] so that Satan will not be able to take advantage of [the problems among] us [and make the situation worse]. We know very well [LIT] that Satan is always planning to [cause problems among us].

12 Ka ʻi heʻeku hoko atu ki Taloasi, ke malangaʻaki ʻae ongoongolelei ʻo Kalaisi, pea fakaava ʻe he ʻEiki ʻae matapā kiate au,

[I will continue by telling you what I did after I wrote to you from Ephesus city]. I went to Troas [city] in order to [tell people] the message [about] Christ. [When I arrived there], I found [many people] who had been prepared by the Lord [Jesus] [MET] [to listen to what I told them about him].

13 Naʻe ʻikai ha fiemālie ʻi hoku loto, koeʻuhi naʻe ʻikai teu feʻiloaki mo hoku tokoua ko Taitusi: pea hili ʻemau māvae mo kinautolu, peau ʻalu mei ai ki Masitōnia.

But because my fellow believer Titus had not [arrived with a report from you], I still felt very anxious and concerned [about you]. So, [after spending only a short time at Troas], I said goodbye to [the believers who were there] and came [here] to Macedonia [province to find Titus].

14 Pea ko eni, fakafetaʻi ki he ʻOtua, ʻaia ʻoku ne foaki ke mau faʻa ikuna ʻia Kalaisi, pea ʻoku ne fofola atu ʻae ngangatu ʻo ʻene ʻilo ʻiate kimautolu ʻi he potu kotoa pē.

However, [before I tell you any more about that], I [want to] thank God [for what he is doing. As a great leader of fighting men causes all his prisoners to take part in his victory parade] [MET], God leads us [who are his workers] to always be victorious [over Satan because of our(exc) close relationship with Christ. God causes people to come to] know Jesus Christ as a result of our [(exc) teaching his message. That message is like] [MET] the smell of perfume.

15 He ko e ngangatu lelei ʻo Kalaisi ʻakimautolu ki he ʻOtua, ʻiate kinautolu kuo fakamoʻui, pea ʻiate kinautolu ʻoku fakaʻauha:

[When we(exc) tell God’s message] about Christ, it [spreads out among people] like the smell of perfume. [Those who believe the message that we tell them] are saved {[Jesus Christ] saves them} [from the guilt of their sin. But those who reject that message] will be separated from God [forever].

16 Ko e nanamu ʻoe mate ki he mate ki he niʻihi; pea ki he niʻihi ko e nanamu ʻoe moʻui ki he moʻui. Pea ko hai ʻoku taau mo e ngaahi meʻa ni?

To those who [are on the way to hell, our message is like] [MET] a foul smell [because it is about dying] and being separated from God forever. But, to those [on the way to heaven, the message that we teach is like] a pure fragrant smell, [because we tell them] that they will live [forever with God. As we think about that, we think] (no one is able [to do] such important work [for God!]/how can anyone be able [to do] such important work [for God]?) [RHQ] (questioned)

17 He ʻoku ʻikai te mau hangē ko e tokolahi, ʻoku fai kākā ʻaki ʻae folofola ʻae ʻOtua: ka ʻi he moʻoni, ka ʻi he ʻOtua, pea ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua, ʻoku mau lea kia Kalaisi.

[But perhaps God considers us(exc) able], because we do not work/act like so many [others whom you know]. They teach God’s message in a way that [they think people will like, and they think that] people will pay them for teaching that way. We [(exc) certainly do not do that]. On the contrary, [as servants of] Christ, and knowing that God is watching us [(exc)], we teach sincerely [the message that] God sent us to proclaim.