¹But I determined this for myself , that I would not come to you again in sorrow .

²For if I make you grieve , then who will make me glad but he who is made to grieve 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 to grieve , 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 .

⁶This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one ;

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 towards 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 Christ ,

¹¹that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan , for we are not ignorant of his schemes .

¹²Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ , 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 God who always leads us in triumph in Christ , and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place .

¹⁵For we are a sweet aroma of Christ 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 Christ .