| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. | 1In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit. |
| 2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? | 2For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me? |
| 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. | 3I 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 about all of you that my joy will also be yours. |
| 4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. | 4For 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. |
| 5Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. | 5If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree--not to exaggerate--to all of you. |
| 6For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, | 6The punishment inflicted by the majority is sufficient for that person. |
| 7so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. | 7As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. |
| 8So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. |
| 9For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. | 9I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. |
| 10Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, | 10If 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. |
| 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. | 11I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes. |
| 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, | 12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, the Lord opened a door for me. |
| 13my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. | 13I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia. |
| 14But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. | 14But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. |
| 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, | 15For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. |
| 16to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? | 16To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this? |
| 17For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. | 17For we are not like the many who market God's message for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God. |
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