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].
Je résolus donc en moi-même de ne point venir vers vous de nouveau dans la tristesse.
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 c’est moi qui vous contriste, qui aurai-je pour me réjouir, si ce n’est celui qui est contristé à cause de moi?
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.
C’est aussi ce que je vous ai écrit, afin, quand je viendrai, de n’avoir pas tristesse sur tristesse, de la part de ceux qui auraient dû être ma joie, ayant cette confiance en vous tous, que ma joie est la vôtre à tous.
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.
Car je vous ai écrit, dans l’affliction et l’angoisse du cœur, aveu beaucoup de larmes, non pour que vous soyez contristés, mais afin que vous sachiez la charité surabondante 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].
Que si l’un de vous m’a contristé, il ne m’a contristé qu’en partie, pour ne pas vous charger tous.
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.
Quant à celui qui s’est mis dans ce cas, il suffit de cette correction faite par un grand nombre;
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]).
De sorte que vous devez, au contraire, user avec lui d’indulgence et le consoler, de peur qu’il ne soit accablé par une trop grande tristesse, se trouvant dans une pareille situation.
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.
C’est pourquoi je vous conjure de redoubler de charité envers lui.
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].
C’est pourquoi aussi je vous écris, afin de connaître à l’épreuve 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].
Ce que vous lui avez pardonné, je le lui ai aussi pardonné; car si j’ai moi-même usé d’indulgence, j’en ai usé à cause de vous dans la personne du 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 que nous ne soyons point circonvenus par Satan; car nous n’ignorons pas ses desseins.
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].
Lorsque je suis venu à Troade pour l’Evangile du Christ, et qu’une porte m’y fut ouverte par le Seigneur,
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’ai point eu de repos en mon esprit de ce que je n’y avais pas trouvé Tite, mon frère; mais, prenant congé d’eux, je suis parti 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 à Dieu, qui toujours nous fait triompher dans le Christ Jésus, et répand par nous en tous lieux l’odeur 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].
Parce que nous sommes pour Dieu une bonne odeur du Christ à l’égard de ceux qui se sauvent, et à l’égard de 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)
Aux uns odeur de mort pour la mort; mais aux autres odeur de vie pour la vie. Or qui est capable d’un tel ministère?
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.
Car nous ne sommes pas comme beaucoup, qui corrompent la parole de Dieu; mais c’est avec sincérité, comme de la part de Dieu, devant Dieu, en Jésus-Christ que nous parlons.
