Kwa sababu hiyo, niliamua kwamba sitafanya safari nyingine kuja kuwahuzunisha. Kwa kuwa kama nawahuzunisha, ni nani ali yebaki kunifurahisha isipokuwa ninyi ambao nimewahuzunisha? Ndio sababu nikawaandikia ili nitakapokuja nisihuzunishwe na watu ambao wangenifanya nifurahi. Nilikuwa na uhakika kwenu kwamba furaha yangu ingekuwa furaha yenu nyote. Kwa maana nili waandikia katika dhiki na kutaabika moyoni na kwa machozi mengi. Shabaha yangu haikuwa kuwahuzunisha bali kuwaonyesha kina cha upendo wangu kwenu.

Msamaha Kwa Mwenye Dhambi

Basi ikiwa mtu ye yote amesababisha huzuni, kwa kiasi fulani hakunihuzunisha mimi kama alivyowahuzunisha ninyi nyote; sipendi kuweka uzito zaidi kwa upande wenu. Basi adhabu aliyop ewa na wengi inamtosha. Na sasa mnapaswa kumsamehe na kumfariji ili asikate tamaa kabisa kutokana na huzuni kubwa mno aliyo nayo. Kwa hiyo nawasihi mumhakikishie tena kwamba mnampenda. Nili waandikia kuwajaribu ili nione kama mtakuwa watii kwa kila kitu. 10 Mtu ye yote mnayemsamehe na mimi namsamehe. Cho chote nili chosamehe, kama kulikuwa na cha kusamehe, nimesamehe kwa ajili yenu mbele ya Kristo 11 ili shetani asije akatushinda. Kwa maana tunajua mipango yake.

12 Nilipofika Troa kuhubiri Injili ya Kristo, nilikuta Bwana ameshafungua mlango. 13 Lakini sikuweza kutulia kwa sababu sikumkuta ndugu yangu Tito huko. Kwa hiyo nikaagana nao nikaenda Makedonia.

Ushindi Ndani Ya Kristo

14 Lakini Mungu ashukuriwe, ambaye hutuongoza katika ushindi tukiwa ndani ya Kristo. Naye hututumia sisi kueneza maarifa ya kumjua yeye kila mahali kama harufu nzuri. 15 Kwa Mungu sisi ni kama harufu nzuri ya manukato ya Kristo ambayo inatapakaa mion goni mwa wale wanaookolewa na wale wanaopotea. 16 Kwa wale wanaopotea sisi ni kama harufu ya kifo, lakini kwa wale wanaooko lewa sisi ni harufu iletayo uzima. Ni nani basi awezaye kufanya kazi hiyo? 17 Sisi si kama watu wengine ambao wanauza neno la Mungu wajipatie faida. Lakini kama watu wenye moyo safi, tuliot euliwa na Mungu mbele yake mwenyewe, sisi tunazungumza tukiwa ndani ya Kristo.

Hivyo niliamua moyoni mwangu mwenyewe kuwa sitafanya safari nyingine ya huzuni kuja kwenu. Ikiwa nitawafanya muwe na huzuni nani atanifanya niwe na furaha? Ni ninyi tu ndiyo mnaweza kunifanya niwe na furaha. Ni ninyi ambao niliwahuzunisha. Naliwaandikia barua ili kwamba nijapo kwenu nisihuzunishwe na wale ambao wanapaswa kunifanya niwe na furaha. Nilijisikia kuwa na hakika ya kuwa ninyi nyote mtashiriki furaha yangu. Nilipowaandikia barua ya kwanza, niliiandika macho yangu yakibubujika machozi mengi. Sikuandika ili kuwafanya muwe na huzuni, bali kuwafanya mjue kwa jinsi gani ninavyowapenda.

Msamehe Mtu Aliye Fanya Kosa

Mtu mmoja katika kusanyiko lenu amesababisha maumivu, ila si kwangu, bali amesababisha maumivu kwenu nyote kwa kiwango fulani. Nina maanisha amewakwaza nyote kwa namna fulani. (Sitaki ionekane kuwa mbaya sana kuliko ilivyo) Adhabu ambayo walio wengi miongoni mwa kusanyiko lenu walimpa inatosha. Lakini msameheni na kumtia moyo sasa. Hili litamsaidia asiwe na huzuni sana na asikate tamaa kabisa. Hivyo ninawasihi mwonesheni kuwa mnampenda. Hii ndiyo sababu niliandika ile barua. Nilitaka kuwapima na kuona ikiwa mna utii katika kila kitu. 10 Mkimsamehe mtu, ndipo nami husamehe pia. Na kile nilichosamehe, kama nilikuwa na jambo la kusamehe, nilisamehe kwa ajili yenu. Na Kristo akithibitisha. 11 Nilifanya hivi ili Shetani asipate ushindi wowote kutoka kwetu. Tunafahamu sote mipango yake ilivyo.

Mungu Anatupa Ushindi Dhidi ya Masumbufu

12 Nilikwenda Troa kuwaambia watu Habari Njema juu ya Kristo. Bwana alinipa fursa ya pekee kule. 13 Lakini sikuwa na amani kwa sababu sikumwona Tito pale. Hivyo niliaga na kwenda Makedonia.

14 Lakini ashukuriwe Mungu ambaye siku zote hutuongoza katika gwaride la ushindi la Kristo. Mungu anatutumia sisi kueneza ufahamu juu ya Kristo kila mahali kama vile marashi yanayonukia vizuri. 15 Maisha yetu ni sadaka ya harufu nzuri ya manukato ya Kristo inayotolewa kwa Mungu. Harufu nzuri ya sadaka hii huwaendea wale wanaokolewa na kwa wale wanaopotea. 16 Kwao wanaopotea, marashi haya yananukia kama mauti, na huwaletea kifo. Ila kwao wanaookolewa, ina harufu nzuri ya uzima, na inawaletea afya ya uzima. Kwa hiyo ni nani aliye bora kuifanya kazi hii? 17 Kwa hakika sio wale wanaozunguka wakiuuza ujumbe wa Mungu ili kupata faida! Lakini sisi hatufanyi hivyo. Kwa msaada wa Kristo tunaisema kweli ya Mungu kwa uaminifu, tukifahamu kuwa tunazungumza kwa ajili yake na mbele zake.

So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.(A) For if I grieve you,(B) who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? I wrote as I did,(C) so that when I came I would not be distressed(D) by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence(E) in all of you, that you would all share my joy. For I wrote you(F) out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender

If anyone has caused grief,(G) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. The punishment(H) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,(I) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. Another reason I wrote you(J) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.(K) 10 Anyone 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, 11 in order that Satan(L) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.(M)

Ministers of the New Covenant

12 Now when I went to Troas(N) to preach the gospel of Christ(O) and found that the Lord had opened a door(P) for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind,(Q) because I did not find my brother Titus(R) there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.(S)

14 But thanks be to God,(T) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma(U) of the knowledge(V) of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma(W) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.(X) 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death;(Y) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?(Z) 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.(AA) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,(AB) as those sent from God.(AC)