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2 Corinthians 2
New English Translation

2 1 So[a] I made up my own mind[b] not to pay you another painful visit.[c] 2 For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad[d] but the one I caused to be sad? 3 And I wrote this very thing to you,[e] so that when I came[f] I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours. 4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you.[g] 5 But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate)[h] he has saddened all of you as well. 6 This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, 7 so that now instead[i] you should rather forgive and comfort him.[j] This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.[k] 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.[l] 9 For this reason also I wrote you:[m] to test you to see[n] if you are obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone for anything, I also forgive him—for indeed what I have forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be exploited[o] by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes). 12 Now when I arrived in Troas[p] to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened[q] a door of opportunity[r] for me, 13 I had no relief in my spirit,[s] because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them[t] and set out[u] for Macedonia.

Apostolic Ministry

14 But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession[v] in Christ[w] and who makes known[x] through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place. 15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing— 16 to the latter an odor[y] from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?[z] 17 For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit,[aa] but we are speaking in Christ before[ab] God as persons of sincerity,[ac] as persons sent from God.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 2:1 tc Although usually δέ (de, “now”; found in א A C D1 F G Ψ 0285 M lat) should take precedent over γάρ (gar) in textually disputed places in the corpus Paulinum, the credentials for γάρ here are not easily dismissed (P46 B 0223 0243 33 1739 1881 al); here it is the preferred reading, albeit slightly.
  2. 2 Corinthians 2:1 tn Or “I decided this for myself.”
  3. 2 Corinthians 2:1 tn Grk “not to come to you again in sorrow.”sn Paul was not speaking absolutely about not making another visit, but meant he did not want to come to the Corinthians again until the conflict he mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4-11 was settled.
  4. 2 Corinthians 2:2 tn Or “to cheer me up.” L&N 25.131 translates this “For if I were to make you sad, who would be left to cheer me up?”
  5. 2 Corinthians 2:3 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
  6. 2 Corinthians 2:3 sn So that when I came. Regarding this still future visit by Paul, see 2 Cor 12:14; 13:1.
  7. 2 Corinthians 2:4 tn Or “the love that I have in great measure for you.”
  8. 2 Corinthians 2:5 tn Or “(not to say too much)”; Grk “(not to burden you [with words]).”
  9. 2 Corinthians 2:7 tn Grk “so that on the other hand.”
  10. 2 Corinthians 2:7 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted and must be supplied from the context.
  11. 2 Corinthians 2:7 tn Grk “comfort him, lest somehow such a person be swallowed up by excessive grief,” an idiom for a person being so overcome with grief as to despair or give up completely (L&N 25.285). In this context of excessive grief or regret for past sins, “overwhelmed” is a good translation since contemporary English idiom speaks of someone “overwhelmed by grief.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the difficulty of expressing a negative purpose/result clause in English, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  12. 2 Corinthians 2:8 tn Or “I urge you to show that your love for him is real.”
  13. 2 Corinthians 2:9 tn The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied (as an understood direct object).
  14. 2 Corinthians 2:9 tn Grk “to know the proof of you,” that is, to know if the Corinthians’ obedience to Paul as an apostle was genuine (L&N 72.7).
  15. 2 Corinthians 2:11 tn Or “be taken advantage of.”
  16. 2 Corinthians 2:12 sn Troas was a city and region in the northwest corner of Asia Minor.
  17. 2 Corinthians 2:12 tn This has been translated as a concessive participle (“even though”). The passive construction (“a door of opportunity had been opened for me by the Lord”) has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity.
  18. 2 Corinthians 2:12 tn Grk “a door”; the phrase ἀνοίγω θύραν (anoigō thuran, “to open a door”) is an idiom meaning “to make possible some opportunity” (L&N 71.9).
  19. 2 Corinthians 2:13 tn Or “I had no peace of mind.”
  20. 2 Corinthians 2:13 tn Or “I took my leave of them.”
  21. 2 Corinthians 2:13 tn Since this refers to the outset of a journey, the aorist ἐξῆλθον (exēlthon) is taken ingressively.
  22. 2 Corinthians 2:14 tn Or “who always causes us to triumph.”
  23. 2 Corinthians 2:14 tn Or “in the Messiah.”
  24. 2 Corinthians 2:14 tn Or “who reveals.”
  25. 2 Corinthians 2:16 tn The same Greek word (ὀσμή, osmē) translated “odor” here (in relation to the stench of death) has been translated “fragrance” in 2:14 and in the next phrase of the present verse. The word itself can describe a smell or odor either agreeable or disagreeable depending on the context (L&N 79.45).
  26. 2 Corinthians 2:16 sn These things refer to the things Paul is doing in his apostolic ministry.
  27. 2 Corinthians 2:17 tn The participle καπηλεύοντες (kapēleuontes) refers to those engaged in retail business, but with the negative connotations of deceptiveness and greed—“to peddle for profit,” “to huckster” (L&N 57.202). In the translation a noun form (“hucksters”) has been used in combination with the English verb “peddle…for profit” to convey the negative connotations of this term.
  28. 2 Corinthians 2:17 tn Or “in the presence of.”
  29. 2 Corinthians 2:17 tn Or “persons of pure motives.”
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2 Corinthians 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible

2 1 In fact, I made up my mind about this:[a] I would not come to you on another painful visit.[b] 2 For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?[c] 3 I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident(A) about all of you that my joy will also be yours. 4 For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

A Sinner Forgiven

5 If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate(B)—to all of you. 6 The punishment inflicted by the majority is sufficient for that person. 7 As a result, you should instead forgive(C) and comfort him. Otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 I wrote for this purpose: to test your character(D) to see if you are obedient(E) in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for you in the presence of Christ. 11 I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage(F) of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

A Trip to Macedonia

12 When I came to Troas(G) to preach the gospel of Christ, the Lord opened a door(H) for me. 13 I had no rest(I) in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus,(J) but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.(K)

A Ministry of Life or Death

14 But thanks be to God,(L) who always puts us on display[d] in Christ[e] and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.(M) 15 For to God we are the fragrance(N) of Christ among those who are being saved(O) and among those who are perishing.(P) 16 To some we are an aroma of death(Q) leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life(R) leading to life. And who is competent for this? 17 For we are not like the many[f] who market God’s message(S) for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 2:1 Lit I decided this for myself
  2. 2 Corinthians 2:1 Lit not again in sorrow to come to you
  3. 2 Corinthians 2:2 Lit the one pained
  4. 2 Corinthians 2:14 Or always leads us in a triumphal procession, or always causes us to triumph
  5. 2 Corinthians 2:14 Lit in the Christ, or in the Messiah; 1Co 15:22; Eph 1:10,12,20; 3:11
  6. 2 Corinthians 2:17 Other mss read the rest
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