English Standard Version ESV
New King James Version NKJV
1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.
2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?
3 And 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.
3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all.
4 For 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.
4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.
5 Now 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.
5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent--not to be too severe.
6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,
6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,
7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.
8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.
10 Anyone 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,
10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,
12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,
13 my 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.
13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
14 But 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.
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For 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.
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.