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2 Corinthians 2
Christian Standard Bible

2 In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit.[a] 2 For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?[b] 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 to cause you pain, 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 This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. 7 As a result, you should instead forgive(C) and comfort him. Otherwise, he 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 Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11 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, even though 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) Instead, 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 leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession 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. Who is adequate for these things? 17 For we do not market the word of God(S) for profit like so many.[c] On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Footnotes

  1. 2:1 Lit not again in sorrow to come to you
  2. 2:2 Lit the one pained
  3. 2:17 Other mss read like the rest
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2 Corinthians 2
International Standard Version

Paul’s Painful Visit

2 Now[a] I decided not to pay you another painful visit. 2 After all, if I were to grieve you, who should make me happy but the person I am making sad? 3 This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have. 4 I wrote to you out of great sorrow and anguish of heart—along with many tears—not to make you sad but to let you know how much love I have for you.

Forgive the Person who Sinned

5 But if anyone has caused grief, he didn’t cause me any grief. To some extent—I don’t want to emphasize this too much—it has affected[b] all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man. 7 So forgive and comfort him, or else he will drown in his excessive grief. 8 That’s why I’m urging you to assure him of your love. 9 I had also written to you to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every way. 10 When you forgive someone, I do, too. Indeed, what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I did[c] in the presence of the Messiah[d] for your benefit, 11 so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.

Paul’s Anxiety and Relief

12 When I went to Troas on behalf of the gospel of the Messiah,[e] the Lord opened a door for me, 13 but my spirit could not find any relief, because I couldn’t find Titus, my brother. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God! He always leads us triumphantly by the Messiah[f] and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of knowing him. 15 To God we are the aroma of the Messiah[g] among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. 16 To some people we are a deadly fragrance,[h] while to others we are a living fragrance.[i] Who is qualified for this? 17 At least we are not commercializing God’s word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah’s[j] name,[k] like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.[l]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 2:1 Other mss. read For
  2. 2 Corinthians 2:5 The Gk. lacks much—it has affected
  3. 2 Corinthians 2:10 The Gk. lacks I did
  4. 2 Corinthians 2:10 Or Christ
  5. 2 Corinthians 2:12 Or Christ
  6. 2 Corinthians 2:14 Or Christ
  7. 2 Corinthians 2:15 Or Christ
  8. 2 Corinthians 2:16 Lit. a fragrance of death to death
  9. 2 Corinthians 2:16 Lit. a fragrance of life to life
  10. 2 Corinthians 2:17 Or Christ’s
  11. 2 Corinthians 2:17 The Gk. lacks name
  12. 2 Corinthians 2:17 Lit. as from God and before God
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2 Corinthians 2
New Living Translation

2 So I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. 2 For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved. 3 That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. 4 I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

Forgiveness for the Sinner

5 I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

9 I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. 10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, 11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

12 When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me. 13 But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.

Ministers of the New Covenant

14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters[a] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Footnotes

  1. 2:17 Some manuscripts read the rest of the hucksters.
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2 Corinthians 2
New International Version

2 1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.(A) 2 For if I grieve you,(B) who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did,(C) so that when I came I would not be distressed(D) by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence(E) in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you(F) out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender

5 If anyone has caused grief,(G) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment(H) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,(I) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you(J) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.(K) 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan(L) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.(M)

Ministers of the New Covenant

12 Now when I went to Troas(N) to preach the gospel of Christ(O) and found that the Lord had opened a door(P) for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind,(Q) because I did not find my brother Titus(R) there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.(S)

14 But thanks be to God,(T) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma(U) of the knowledge(V) of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma(W) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.(X) 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death;(Y) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?(Z) 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.(AA) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,(AB) as those sent from God.(AC)

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2 Corinthians 1
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Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

International Standard Version (ISV)

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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

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