2 Corinthians 2:8-17
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 2
8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9For to this end I also wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,
13I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but saying goodbye to them, I went on to Macedonia.
14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.
15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:
16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
17For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.
King James Version
Chapter 2
8Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. 9For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.
10To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
13I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.
14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 2
8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything. 10Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11so 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 the Lord opened a door for me,
13I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus. Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.
14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place.
15For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. Who is adequate for these things?
17For we do not market the word of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.
New Living Translation
9I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions.
10When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,
11so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
12When I came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for me.
13But I had no peace of mind because my dear brother Titus hadn’t yet arrived with a report from you. So I said good-bye and went on to Macedonia to find him.
14But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
15Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.
16To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
English Standard Version
Chapter 2
8So I beg 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. 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, 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
12When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord,
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.
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.
15For we are the 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?
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.
New International Version
Chapter 2
8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 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, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me,
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 as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.
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?
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.
New King James Version
Chapter 2
8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10Now 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, 11lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,
13I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
14Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16To 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?
17For 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.