¹ But I determined this with myself, that my next visit to you should not be in sorrow.

² For if I make you sorrowful, who is there to make me glad but he that is made sorrowful by me?

³ And I wrote about this very matter, that I might not on my coming have sorrow from those who ought to gladden me, having confidence in all of you, that my joy is the joy of you all.

⁴ For out of much distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that ye should be made sorrowful, but that ye might know the exceeding love which I have for you.

⁵ But if any one hath caused grief, he hath caused it not to me alone, but in a measure, not to be too severe on him, to all of you.

⁶ Sufficient for such a one is this punishment, which was inflicted by the many;

⁷ so that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive, and console him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

⁸ Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your love toward him.

⁹ For to this end also I wrote, that I might know by putting it to the proof, whether ye are obedient in all things.

¹⁰ But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes I forgave it in the person of Christ,

¹¹ that Satan might not gain an advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹² Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and a door had been opened to me by the Lord,

¹³ I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always exhibiteth us in triumph in Christ, and manifesteth through us the odor of the knowledge of him in every place.

¹⁵ For we are to God a sweet odor of Christ among those who are being saved, and those who are perishing;

¹⁶ to the latter we are the odor of death, producing death; and to the former the odor of life, producing life. And who is sufficient for these things?

¹⁷ For we are not as the many, who adulterate the word of God; but as from sincerity, but as from God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.