| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1So I made up my own mind not to pay you another painful visit. | 1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. |
| 2For if I make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused to be sad? | 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? |
| 3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came 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. | 3I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. |
| 4For 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. | 4For I wrote you 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. |
| 5But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well. | 5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent--not to put it too severely. |
| 6This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, | 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. |
| 7so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair. | 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. |
| 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. |
| 9For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in everything. | 9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. |
| 10If 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, | 10Anyone 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, |
| 11so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes). | 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. |
| 12Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me, | 12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, |
| 13I had no relief in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them and set out for Macedonia. | 13I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. |
| 14But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place. | 14But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. |
| 15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing-- | 15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. |
| 16to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? | 16To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? |
| 17For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God. | 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. |
|
    |