| 1 | So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. | |
| 2 | For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? | |
| 3 | I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. | |
| 4 | For I wrote you 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. | |
| 5 | If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. | |
| 6 | The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. | |
| 7 | Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. | |
| 8 | I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. | |
| 9 | The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. | |
| 10 | If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. 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 might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. | |
| 12 | Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, | |
| 13 | I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia. | |
| 14 | But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. | |
| 15 | For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. | |
| 16 | To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? | |
| 17 | Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. | |