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].
Vậy, chính tôi đã quyết định không trở lại cùng anh em để làm cho anh em buồn rầu;
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]
vì nếu tôi làm cho anh em buồn rầu, thì thể nào tôi được trông cậy sự vui bởi kẻ mà chính tôi đã làm cho buồn rầu?
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.
Tôi đã biết cho anh em như thế, hầu cho khi tôi đến nơi, sẽ không buồn bởi kẻ đáng làm tôi vui: tôi tin cậy ở hết thảy anh em rằng, anh em ai nấy đều lấy sự vui của tôi mà làm vui mình.
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.
Vả, ấy là đương trong cơn khốn nạn lớn, tấm lòng quặn thắt, nước mắt dầm dề, mà tôi đã viết thơ cho anh em, nào phải để cho anh em âu sầu, nhưng để làm cho anh em biết tình yêu dấu riêng của tôi đối với anh em vậy.
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].
Nếu kẻ nào làm cớ buồn rầu, ấy chẳng phải chỉ làm cho tôi buồn rầu mà thôi, nhưng đã làm cho anh em thảy đều buồn rầu ít nhiều, tôi chẳng muốn nói quá làm gì.
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.
Kẻ đó đã bị phần nhiều người trong anh em quở trách, ấy là đủ rồi;
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]).
thà nay anh em tha thứ yên ủi, hầu cho người khỏi bị sa ngã vì sự buồn rầu quá lớn.
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.
Vậy tôi xin anh em hãy bày tỏ lòng yêu thương đối với người đó.
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].
Bởi chưng tôi viết thơ cho anh em, cốt để thử anh em xem có vâng lời trong cả mọi sự cùng chăng.
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].
Nhưng anh em tha thứ ai, thì tôi cũng tha thứ. Vả, nếu tôi đã tha, là vì anh em mà tha, ở trước mặt Ðấng 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].
hầu đừng để cho quỉ Sa-tan thắng chúng ta, vì chúng ta chẳng phải là không biết mưu chước của nó.
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].
Lại khi tôi đã đến thành Trô-ách đặng giảng Tin Lành của Ðấng Christ, dầu Chúa đã mở cửa cho tôi ở đó,
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].
mà vì tôi không gặp anh em tôi là Tít, nên chẳng được yên lòng. Vậy sau khi từ giã các tín đồ, thì tôi qua xứ Ma-xê-đoan.
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.
Song tạ ơn Ðức Chúa Trời, Ngài làm cho chúng tôi được thắng trong Ðấng Christ luôn luôn, và bởi chúng tôi, Ngài rải mùi thơm về sự nhận biết Ngài khắp chốn!
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].
Vì chúng tôi ở trước mặt Ðức Chúa Trời là mùi thơm của Ðấng Christ, ở giữa kẻ được cứu, và ở giữa kẻ bị hư mất;
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)
cho kẻ nầy, mùi của sự chết làm cho chết; cho kẻ kia, mùi của sự sống làm cho sống. Ai xứng đáng cho những sự nầy?
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.
Vả, chúng tôi chẳng giả mạo lời của Ðức Chúa Trời như nhiều kẻ khác; nhưng chúng tôi lấy lòng chân thật, theo như đạo từ Ðức Chúa Trời đến thể nào, thì giảng ra thể ấy trước mặt Ðức Chúa Trời, trong Ðấng Christ.
