| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. | 1So I made up my own mind not to pay you 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 make you sad, who would be left to make me glad but the one I caused to be sad? |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 6For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, | 6This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him, |
| 7so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. | 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. |
| 8So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. | 8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. |
| 9For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. | 9For this reason also I wrote you: to test you 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 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, |
| 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. | 11so that we may not be exploited 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, | 12Now when I arrived in Troas to proclaim the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened a door of opportunity 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 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 15For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, | 15For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God 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 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? |
| 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 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. |
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