2 Corinthians 2 - First Nations Version

¹ So I made up my mind not to sadden you with another painful visit.

² If I came to you in this way, there would be no one to make my heart glad, for your hearts would be on the ground.

³ I have written this letter so that when I come to you it will be a time of rejoicing instead of sadness. I am sure you also want the same thing.

⁴ My heart was on the ground as I wrote the other letter to you. I wrote each word in pain, sorrow, and many tears. Not to cause you pain, but to let you know how great my love is for all of you.

FORGIVE THE ONE WHO HAS DONE WRONG

⁵ But there is one among you who has caused trouble and pain, not so much to me but mostly to all of you.

⁶ The discipline most of you have already given him is enough. There is no need to punish him further.

⁷ Instead, to keep him from losing heart and falling into deep sorrow and self-pity, you should forgive and speak words of healing over him.

⁸ That is why I now beg you to show him once again how much you love him.

⁹ The reason for my letter was to find out whether you would follow all of my instructions, even the hard ones.

¹⁰ Anyone you forgive, I forgive also. Whatever I have already forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I forgave knowing that the Chosen One is here with us in spirit.

¹¹ I do this to make sure that Accuser (Satan) gains no foothold, for we know his evil trickster ways.

SMALL MAN AT THE VILLAGE OF CUT THROUGH

¹² On my journey I arrived at the seaport village of Cut Through (Troas). For it was there that our Honored Chief had opened a way for me to tell the good story about the Chosen One.

¹³ But my spirit was restless when I did not find Big Man (Titus) there, for he is like a brother to me. So I left there and journeyed on my way to look for Big Man (Titus) in Land of Tall People (Macedonia). Small Man (Paul) tells us later in this letter that he went to Land of Tall People (Macedonia) with some fellow travelers. When he did not find Big Man (Titus) there, he continued to be restless and even argued with his fellow travelers. But Big Man (Titus) finally arrived, making the heart of Small Man (Paul) glad!

¹⁴ We are giving thanks to the Great Spirit, for the Chosen One is his headman dancer leading us in the victory dance. Everywhere we go Creator uses us to spread the sweet-smelling smoke of what it means to know the Chosen One.

¹⁵ To the Great Spirit we smell like the Chosen One. To those who are being set free and made whole we have the smell of life,

¹⁶ but to the ones who are walking the road to a bad end, we have the smell of death. Who among us is able to carry the weight of such a task?

¹⁷ We are not like those who are turning Creator’s message into a way to gain possessions. For in the Chosen One, with Creator looking down on us, we speak truth from our hearts as we represent the Great Spirit.