Forgiveness for the Offender

⁵ If anyone has caused grief,^(A) 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^(B) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,^(C) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you^(D) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.^{(E) 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,