2 Corintios 2

1 Así que decidí no visitarlos otra vez para no causarles tristeza.

Anyway, I definitely decided that I would not come to visit you again [now. If I had come, I would have spoken severely to you again, and] I would have made you unhappy as I did the last time [I visited you].

2 Porque si yo los entristezco, ¿quién me alegra, sino aquel a quien yo entristecí?

[And] if I make you unhappy, I will have made unhappy [the only people who can cheer me up], so (there will be none of you to cheer me up!/who would cheer me up?) [RHQ]

3 Les escribí esto para que al llegar no sea entristecido por los que debían alegrarme. Confío que mi gozo es el de todos ustedes.

So, [instead of going to visit you at that time], I wrote a letter [and sent it to you]. I wrote it the way I did so that [you would know what you should do. Then] when I come to visit you, you will not make me unhappy when you should be causing me to rejoice. I was quite sure that all of you [would do what I told you to do in that letter, and because of that] I would be happy and you would be happy, too.

4 Les escribí con muchas lágrimas por la gran aflicción y angustia, no para entristecerlos, sino para que supieran cuán gran amor les tengo.

I wrote to you [the way I did] because I felt very troubled and distressed about you. I was even crying very much as I wrote. [My purpose in writing was] not in order to make you feel bad, but, instead, in order that you might know how deeply/much I love you.

5 Si causó tristeza a alguno, no fue solo a mí, sino hasta cierto punto, para no exagerar, a todos ustedes.

[Now I want to write about the man who] caused all this anguish. [What he did was very wrong, but] I know that it has caused you much more sorrow than it has caused me, because [what he did] has [affected] all of you [to some extent. I say], “to some extent,” [because I do not want to say that he has] done more harm [than he really has done].

6 Este castigo de la mayoría para él fue suficiente.

[Since he has now stopped sinning in that way], the punishment that nearly all of you [decided was right for him] has continued long enough.

7 Por tanto, al contrario, más bien les corresponde a ustedes perdonarlo y consolarlo, para que él no sea abrumado por la excesiva tristeza.

So now, instead [of punishing him any longer], you need to forgive him and deal kindly with him. [If you do not forgive him], he may become so sad that he will begin to [think that you will never forgive him] (OR, will stop [believing in Christ]).

8 Así que les ruego confirmar [el] amor hacia él.

For those reasons, I beg you to [forgive him and accept him into your group again, and by doing that] assure him that you truly love him.

9 Por esto les escribí, a fin de ponerlos a prueba para saber si son obedientes en todas las cosas.

[I feel sure that you will do as I ask], because when I wrote [severely] to you [before], I did it to test you by finding out whether or not you really would do everything [that I, as your apostle, asked you to do].

10 A quien perdonen algo, yo también. Porque lo que perdoné, si algo perdoné, [lo hice] por ustedes en presencia de Cristo

So [since you obeyed what I told you before, I feel sure that now you will obey what I am writing in this letter] and forgive the man, as I have done, because I indeed have forgiven him for the wrong thing that he did. Anything he needed me to forgive him for, I have forgiven, and Christ knows [that I have forgiven him sincerely. I have done that mainly] to help you [so that you and I will again have fellowship with each other, and that you will accept him into your group again].

11 para que Satanás no se aproveche, porque no ignoramos sus maquinaciones.

[I want you to forgive him] so that Satan will not be able to take advantage of [the problems among] us [and make the situation worse]. We know very well [LIT] that Satan is always planning to [cause problems among us].

12 Cuando fui a Troas para [predicar] las Buenas Noticias de Cristo, aunque el Señor me abrió una puerta,

[I will continue by telling you what I did after I wrote to you from Ephesus city]. I went to Troas [city] in order to [tell people] the message [about] Christ. [When I arrived there], I found [many people] who had been prepared by the Lord [Jesus] [MET] [to listen to what I told them about him].

13 no tuve reposo en mi espíritu por no hallar a mi hermano Tito. Así que me despedí de ellos y salí para Macedonia.

But because my fellow believer Titus had not [arrived with a report from you], I still felt very anxious and concerned [about you]. So, [after spending only a short time at Troas], I said goodbye to [the believers who were there] and came [here] to Macedonia [province to find Titus].

14 Pero gracias a Dios, Quien siempre nos lleva en un desfile triunfal en Cristo, y por medio de nosotros manifiesta la fragancia de su conocimiento en todo lugar.

However, [before I tell you any more about that], I [want to] thank God [for what he is doing. As a great leader of fighting men causes all his prisoners to take part in his victory parade] [MET], God leads us [who are his workers] to always be victorious [over Satan because of our(exc) close relationship with Christ. God causes people to come to] know Jesus Christ as a result of our [(exc) teaching his message. That message is like] [MET] the smell of perfume.

15 Porque somos fragancia de Cristo para Dios entre los que son salvos y entre los que se pierden:

[When we(exc) tell God’s message] about Christ, it [spreads out among people] like the smell of perfume. [Those who believe the message that we tell them] are saved {[Jesus Christ] saves them} [from the guilt of their sin. But those who reject that message] will be separated from God [forever].

16 a estos ciertamente, [somos] olor de muerte para muerte, y a aquéllos, olor de vida para vida. Y para estas cosas, ¿quién está capacitado?

To those who [are on the way to hell, our message is like] [MET] a foul smell [because it is about dying] and being separated from God forever. But, to those [on the way to heaven, the message that we teach is like] a pure fragrant smell, [because we tell them] that they will live [forever with God. As we think about that, we think] (no one is able [to do] such important work [for God!]/how can anyone be able [to do] such important work [for God]?) [RHQ] (questioned)

17 Porque no somos como muchos que negocian la Palabra de Dios. Hablamos con sinceridad en Cristo, como sus enviados delante de Dios.

[But perhaps God considers us(exc) able], because we do not work/act like so many [others whom you know]. They teach God’s message in a way that [they think people will like, and they think that] people will pay them for teaching that way. We [(exc) certainly do not do that]. On the contrary, [as servants of] Christ, and knowing that God is watching us [(exc)], we teach sincerely [the message that] God sent us to proclaim.