2 Corinthiens 2
1 Mais j'ai décidé pour moi-même de ne plus venir vers vous dans la tristesse.
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 Car si je vous attriste, qui me réjouira, sinon celui que j'attriste?
[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 Et je vous ai écrit cela même, afin que, lorsque je viendrai, je ne sois pas attristé par ceux dont je dois me réjouir, ayant confiance en vous tous pour que ma joie soit partagée par vous tous.
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 Car c'est dans la détresse et l'angoisse du cœur que je vous ai écrit avec beaucoup de larmes, non pour vous affliger, mais pour vous faire connaître l'amour que j'ai si abondamment pour vous.
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 Mais si quelqu'un a causé de la peine, ce n'est pas à moi qu'il en a causé, mais en partie à vous tous, afin que je ne vous presse pas trop.
[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 Ce châtiment infligé par la multitude est suffisant pour un tel homme;
[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 c'est pourquoi, au contraire, vous devriez plutôt lui pardonner et le consoler, de peur qu'un tel homme ne soit englouti par sa trop grande tristesse.
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 C'est pourquoi je vous prie de confirmer votre amour pour lui.
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 C'est en effet dans ce but que j'ai aussi écrit, afin de connaître l'épreuve de vous, pour savoir si vous êtes obéissants en toutes choses.
[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 Maintenant, moi aussi, je pardonne à quiconque vous pardonnez quelque chose. Car si j'ai pardonné quelque chose, c'est pour vous que je l'ai fait en présence du Christ,
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 afin que Satan ne puisse pas prendre l'avantage sur nous, car nous n'ignorons pas ses desseins.
[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 Or, lorsque j'arrivai à Troas pour la Bonne Nouvelle du Christ, et qu'une porte me fut ouverte dans le Seigneur,
[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 je n'avais aucun soulagement pour mon esprit, parce que je n'avais pas trouvé Tite, mon frère; mais, prenant congé d'eux, je me rendis en Macédoine.
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 Or, grâces soient rendues à Dieu qui nous conduit toujours en triomphe dans le Christ, et qui révèle par nous en tout lieu l'odeur agréable de sa connaissance.
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 Car nous sommes une agréable odeur de Christ pour Dieu, pour ceux qui sont sauvés et pour ceux qui périssent:
[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 pour les uns, une odeur de mort à la mort, pour les autres, une agréable odeur de vie à la vie. Qui est suffisant pour ces choses?
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 Car nous ne sommes pas comme tant d'autres, colportant la parole de Dieu. Mais comme de sincérité, comme de Dieu, devant Dieu, nous parlons en Christ.
[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.
