2 Corinthians 2 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 55-56, months after Paul's painful second visit to Corinth and the harsh letter he sent afterward
Location
Written from Macedonia, with Paul recalling his anxious wait at Troas, a port city on the northwest coast of what is now Turkey
Audience
The Corinthian congregation, including the majority who had disciplined an offender and the offender himself
Situation
Paul explains that he stayed away to spare them another painful confrontation, and urges them to forgive and restore the man they punished. He describes leaving an open door for preaching at Troas because he could not rest until Titus brought news from Corinth.
Key Background
Someone in the church had publicly insulted Paul, the congregation had eventually sided with Paul and imposed a penalty, and his concern now is that excessive punishment will crush the man and hand an advantage to forces working against the church. The image of being led in triumph comes from the Roman triumphal procession, a victory parade in which a general's captives were marched through the streets and incense burned along the route, and Paul casts himself as one of the captives rather than the general. The same smell that meant victory to the crowd meant execution to the prisoners, which is why he says the aroma carries life to some and death to others.
So I up my that I wouldn't come to you again with another visit.
Because if I cause you pain, then who's left to me Only you — the very people I've hurt.
That's exactly why I wrote to you the way I did — so that when I do come, I won't be made sad by the very people who should be making me happy. I'm that all of you feel the same way: my joy is your joy too.
I wrote to you with a through many tears — not to make you feel bad, but so you'd know just how I you.
Now, if someone caused all this pain, he didn't just hurt me — he hurt all of you to some degree. I don't want to be too about it.
The the majority of you imposed on him is enough.
So now you should do the opposite — forgive him and him. Otherwise he might in
So I'm urging you: for him.
This was actually why I wrote to you in the first place — to you and see whether you'd follow through on everything.
When you forgive someone, I do too. And whatever I've forgiven — if there was anything to forgive — I did it for your sake, with The
We can't let us — we know exactly what up to.
Now, when I came to to share the about The One, the opened a of for me there.
But I had no of because I couldn't find my Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and headed on to
But He always leads us in a in The One, and through us he spreads the of everywhere we go.
Because to God, we are the of The — both among those being and those headed for
To one group, we smell to To the other, we smell to And who is up for a that?
Unlike so many others, we're not for No — we speak with complete as people by in united with The One.