2 Corinthians 2

1 For I have determined, unto myself, this—not, again, in grief, to come unto you.

So I made up my mind that I would not come to you again in sorrow.

2 For, if, I, grieve you, who then is he that is to gladden me, —save he who is being grieved through me;

For if I make you sorrowful, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have made sorrowful?

3 And I wrote this very thing—lest, if I came, I should have, grief, from those over whom I had need to rejoice, —having confidence in you all, that, my joy, is the joy, of you all.

That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I came I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence about you all that my joy would be yours.

4 For, out of much tribulation and anguish of heart, wrote I unto you, through many tears, —not that ye might be grieved, but that, the love, ye might know, which I have very abundantly unto you.

For I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you sorrow, but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.

5 Now, if anyone hath caused grief, not unto me hath he caused grief, but—that I may not bear too heavily—unto you all.

Now if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure (not to put it too severely) to all of you.

6 Sufficient, unto such a one, the punishment itself which [was inflicted] by the many;

This punishment by the majority is enough for that person.

7 So that, on the contrary, ye should forgive and encourage, lest, by any means, by his excessive grief, such a one should be swallowed up.

So you should forgive and comfort him instead, so that he will not be overwhelmed with excessive sorrow.

8 Wherefore, I beseech you, assure him, of love;

Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

9 For, to this end, I also wrote, —that I might know the proof of you, whether, in all things, ye are obedient.

I wrote to you because I wanted to test your character and see if you would be obedient in everything.

10 Now, to whom ye forgive anything, I, also; for, I also, what I have forgiven, if, anything, I have forgiven, for your sake, in the person of Christ, [have I forgiven it].

Now if you forgive anyone of anything, I also forgive him. For if I have forgiven anyone of anything, I have done it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

11 Lest we should be overreached by Satan, for, of his thoughts, we are not ignorant.

so that we might not be exploited by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

12 Moreover, although I came unto Troas for the glad-message of the Christ, and a door for me had been opened in the Lord,

Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord.

13 I had no relief in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother; but, taking my leave of them, I came away into Macedonia.

But I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. So I took leave of the people there and went on to Macedonia.

14 But, unto God, be thanks, who, ever, leadeth us in triumph in the Christ, and, the fragrance of the knowledge of him, maketh manifest, through us, in every place,

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere.

15 That, of Christ, a grateful odour, are we, unto God, —in them who are being saved, and in them who are being lost:

For we are a sweet fragrance of Christ ascending to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;

16 In these, indeed, a fragrance out of death into death, but, in those, a fragrance out of life into life. And, for these things, who is sufficient?

to the latter we are a smell of death leading to death, but to the former we are a fragrance of life leading to life. And who is equal to such a task?

17 For we are not, as the many, driving a petty trade with the word of God; but, as of sincerity, but, as of God, before God, in Christ, we speak.

For we are not like others who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak with sincerity in the presence of God, as men sent from God.