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¹ But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow.² For if I make you sorry, who then is he that makes me glad but he that is made sorry by me?³ And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is [the joy] of you all.⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not that you should be made sorry, but that you might know the love that I have more abundantly to you.

⁵ But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all.⁶ Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was [inflicted] by the many;⁷ so that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with too much sorrow.⁸ Therefore I urge you to confirm [your] love toward him.⁹ For to this end also I wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.¹⁰ But to whom you forgive anything, I [forgive] also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes [I have forgiven it] in the presence of Christ;¹¹ that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹² Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,¹³ I had no relief for my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and makes manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.¹⁵ For we are a sweet savor of Christ to God, in those that are saved, and in those that perish;¹⁶ to the one a savor from death to death; to the other a savor from life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?¹⁷ For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.