But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow. 2For if I make you sorry, then who will make me glad but he who is made sorry by me? 3And I wrote this very thing to you, so that, when I came, I wouldn’t have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you. 4For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made sorry, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for you.
5But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all. 6Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the many; 7so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. 8Therefore I beg you to confirm your love toward him. 9For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things. 10Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of AL-MASIH1, 11that no advantage may be gained over us by Shaitan2; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
12Now when I came to Troas for the Injil3 of AL-MASIH, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord, 13I had no relief for my spirit, because I didn’t find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.
14Now thanks be to God4, who always leads us in triumph in AL-MASIH, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. 15For we are a sweet aroma of AL-MASIH to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish; 16to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in AL-MASIH.
- 2:10 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 2:11 Shaitan, is derived from the Hebrew Satan, which means “adversary” or “accuser.” ↩︎
- 2:12 Injil, this Arabic word is derived from Euangel (Greek) and means “good news” or “Gospel” (old English for ‘good news’). Depending on context, Injil can refer to,
1. the whole Christian New Testament containing 27 books,
2. the first 4 books of the New Testament, that is, the Injil according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or,
3. the message or “good news” of forgiveness of sins through ‘ISA AL-MASIH. ↩︎ - 2:14 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎