2Cor 2 | EE | STEP | So, I thought about what would be the best thing to do. And I decided not to visit you again at that time, because I did not want to make you sad.

2 Corinthians 2

1 So, I thought about what would be the best thing to do. And I decided not to visit you again at that time, because I did not want to make you sad. 2 If I make you sad, there will be nobody to make me happy. Only you, the people that I had made sad, could make me happy. 3 That is why I wrote that letter to you. I did not want you to make me sad when I visited you. But instead, you ought to make me happy. I felt sure about all of you. If I was happy, then all of you would be happy too. I was sure about that.

4 When I wrote that letter, I was very, very sad. I had very much trouble and pain deep inside myself, and I cried very much. I did not want to make you sad. Instead, I wanted you to know how very, very much I love you.

Forgive the person who did wrong things

5 Someone has done things that have made other people sad. And that person has made not only me sad. No, but really he has made all of you sad too. I do not want to say too much about the wrong things that he did. 6 Most of you have punished him, and that is enough for him. 7 Now, instead, you ought to forgive him and you ought to comfort him. So then, as a result, he will not become so very sad that he stops hoping to get better. 8 So, I ask you strongly to show him that you really do love him. 9 It was for this reason that I wrote to you. I wanted to know what you would do. I wanted to know whether you would obey me always. 10 When you forgive somebody for anything, I forgive that person also. Anything that I have forgiven, I have forgiven because of you, with Christ present. 11 I have done that so that Satan has no chance to be cleverer than us. We know very well the ways by which he tries to beat us.

God makes us winners in Christ

12 When I arrived at Troas city to tell the good news about Christ, the way was open for me. I discovered that the Lord had opened the way for my work there. 13 But in my spirit I could not rest, because I could not find my friend Titus. So, I said ‘Goodbye’ to the people there and I travelled on to Macedonia. ^{▼▼2:13 Troas was a city on the west coast of the country called Turkey now.}

14 But I thank God, who leads us always as winners. He makes us winners because we are united with Christ. And by us, God shows people everywhere about Christ. In every place, like a lovely smell that comes to them, people come to know Christ. 15 Because, to God, we ourselves are the lovely smell that brings Christ. We are like that among those people that God is saving. And we are like it among those people who are dying. They are dying because they are far from God. 16 To the people that God is saving, we are like a lovely smell. We are like a lovely smell that causes them to live. To the people who are dying, far from God, we are like a bad smell from a dead thing. That bad smell leads them to death.

No person could think that he himself was able enough to do this work! 17 But we are not like so many other people, who sell God’s message for money. No, God himself has sent us. And God sees what we are doing. So, we speak honestly because we really want people to know God’s message. We speak as those who are united with Christ.