2 Corinthians 2
1 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].
J'ai donc résolu en moi-même de ne pas retourner chez vous pour vous attrister;
2 [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]
car, si je vous attristais, comment pourrais-je attendre de la joie de ceux que j'aurais moi-même attristés?
3 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.
Si je vous ai écrit comme je l'ai fait, c'est afin qu'à mon arrivée, je ne sois pas attristé par ceux qui devraient me donner de la joie: j'ai cette confiance en vous tous, que vous faites tous votre joie de la mienne.
4 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.
C'est dans une grande affliction, en effet, le coeur serré, et avec beaucoup de larmes, que je vous ai écrit, et cela non pour vous attrister, mais pour vous faire connaître l'affection toute particulière que j'ai pour vous.
5 [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].
Si quelqu'un a été une cause de tristesse, ce n'est pas moi seul qu'il a attristé, mais aussi vous tous, du moins en quelque mesure, pour ne rien exagérer.
6 [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.
C'est assez pour cet homme-là d'avoir été censuré par le plus grand nombre d'entre vous;
7 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]).
aussi vaut-il mieux maintenant que vous lui pardonniez et le consoliez, pour qu'il ne succombe pas à une trop grande tristesse.
8 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.
Je vous prie donc de faire prévaloir en sa faveur des sentiments de charité.
9 [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].
Car mon but, en vous écrivant, a été de vous mettre à l'épreuve et de voir si vous êtes obéissants en toutes choses.
10 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].
Mais à qui vous pardonnez, je pardonne aussi. En effet, si j'ai pardonné, je l'ai fait à cause de vous, en présence de Christ,
11 [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].
afin de ne pas laisser à Satan prendre l'avantage sur nous; car nous n'ignorons pas ses desseins! L'Évangile, odeur de vie et de mort
12 [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].
Au reste, quand je fus arrivé à Troas pour prêcher l'Évangile du Christ, quoique le Seigneur m'y eût ouvert une porte,
13 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].
je n'eus point l'esprit en repos, parce que je n'y trouvai pas Tite, mon frère. C'est pourquoi, après avoir pris congé des fidèles, je partis pour la Macédoine.
14 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.
Mais, grâces soient rendues à Dieu qui triomphe toujours de nous en Christ, et qui répand en tous lieux, par notre ministère, le parfum de sa connaissance!
15 [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].
Car nous sommes, devant Dieu, la bonne odeur de Christ parmi ceux qui sont sauvés et parmi ceux qui périssent:
16 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)
pour ceux-ci, une odeur de mort, qui donne la mort; pour ceux-là, une odeur de vie, qui donne la vie. — Et qui est suffisant pour ces choses? —
17 [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.
En effet, nous ne falsifions point la parole de Dieu, comme le font tant d'autres; mais c'est avec pureté, c'est telle qu'elle vient de Dieu, que nous la prêchons devant Dieu, en Christ.
