1 But it was my decision for myself, not to come again to you with sorrow.

2 For if I give you sorrow, who then will make me glad, but he who is made sad by me?

3 And I said this very thing in my letter, for fear that when I came I might have sorrow from those from whom it was right for me to have joy; being certain of this, that my joy is the joy of you all.

4 For out of much trouble and pain of heart and much weeping I sent my letter to you; not to give you sorrow, but so that you might see how great is the love which I have to you.

5 But if anyone has been a cause of sorrow, he has been so, not to me only, but in some measure to all of you (I say this that I may not be over-hard on you).

6 Let it be enough for such a man to have undergone the punishment which the church put on him;

7 So that now, on the other hand, it is right for him to have forgiveness and comfort from you, for fear that his sorrow may be over-great.

8 For which cause my desire is that you will make your love to him clear by your acts.

9 And for the same reason I sent you a letter so that I might be certain of your desire to do my orders in all things.

10 But if you give forgiveness to anyone, I do the same: for if I have given forgiveness for anything, I have done it because of you, in the person of Christ;

11 So that Satan may not get the better of us: for we are not without knowledge of his designs.

12 Now when I came to Troas for the good news of Christ, and there was an open door for me in the Lord,

13 I had no rest in my spirit because Titus my brother was not there: so I went away from them, and came into Macedonia.

14 But praise be to God who makes us strong to overcome in Christ, and makes clear through us in every place the value of the knowledge of him.

15 For we are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation and in those who are going to destruction;

16 To the one it is a perfume of death to death; to the other a perfume of life to life. And who is enough for such things?

17 For we are not like the great number who make use of the word of God for profit: but our words are true, as from God, being said as before God in Christ.

1 But I have judged this with myself, not to come back to you in grief.

2 For if *I* grieve you, who also {is} it that gladdens me, if not he that is grieved through me?

3 And I have written this very {letter} {to you}, that coming I may not have grief from those from whom I ought to have joy; trusting in you all that my joy is {that} of you all.

4 For out of much tribulation and distress of heart I wrote to you, with many tears; not that ye may be grieved, but that ye may know the love which I have very abundantly towards you.

5 But if any one has grieved, he has grieved, not me, but in part (that I may not overcharge {you}) all of you.

6 Sufficient to such a one {is} this rebuke which {has been inflicted} by the many;

7 so that on the contrary ye should rather shew grace and encourage, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with excessive grief.

8 Wherefore I exhort you to assure him of {your} love.

9 For to this end also I have written, that I might know, by putting you to the test, if as to everything ye are obedient.

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

11 that we might not have Satan get an advantage against us, for we are not ignorant of *his* thoughts.

12 Now when I came to Troas for the {publication of the} glad tidings of the Christ, a door also being opened to me in {the} Lord,

13 I had no rest in my spirit at not finding Titus my brother; but bidding them adieu, I came away to Macedonia.

14 But thanks {be} to God, who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, and makes manifest the odour of his knowledge through us in every place.

15 For we are a sweet odour of Christ to God, in the saved and in those that perish:

16 to the one an odour from death unto death, but to the others an odour from life unto life; and who {is} sufficient for these things?

17 For we do not, as the many, make a trade of the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as of God, before God, we speak in Christ.