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So I made up my mind not to make another visit that causes you grief.(A) For if I cause you grief, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have grieved? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer grief from those who should have made me rejoice, for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you.(B) For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you grief but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender

But if anyone has caused grief, he has caused it not to me but to some extent—not to exaggerate it—to all of you. This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person;(C) so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by even worse grief. So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything.(D) 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. In fact, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. 11 And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Paul’s Anxiety in Troas

12 When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news[a] of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord,(E) 13 but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.[b] 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:(F) 16 to the one group a fragrance from death[c] to death, to the other a fragrance from life[d] to life. Who is qualified for these things?(G) 17 For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many,[e] but as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God, we are speaking in Christ before God.(H)

Footnotes

  1. 2.12 Or the gospel
  2. 2.14 Gk the fragrance of the knowledge of him
  3. 2.16 Other ancient authorities read fragrance of death that leads
  4. 2.16 Other ancient authorities read fragrance of life that leads
  5. 2.17 Other ancient authorities read like the rest

For I made up my mind (A)not to make another painful visit to you. For (B)if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, (C)for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For (D)I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

Now (E)if anyone has caused pain, (F)he has caused it not to me, but (G)in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, (H)this punishment by the majority is enough, so (I)you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might (J)test you and know (K)whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for (L)we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When (M)I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though (N)a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit (O)was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But (P)thanks be to God, who in Christ always (Q)leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads (R)the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among (S)those who are being saved and among (T)those who are perishing, 16 (U)to one a fragrance from death to death, (V)to the other a fragrance from life to life. (W)Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.