1Actually, I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow.

2For if I make you sorrowful, then who will make me glad, besides the one whom I made sorrowful?

3And I wrote this very thing to you so as not to have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice, when I come, having confidence in you all that my joy is also yours.

About the first letter

4Now I wrote to you out of great distress and anguish of heart, with many tears, not that you should be made sorrowful, but that you might know the greatness of my love for you.

5So, if anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has all of you, to some extent—not to be too ‘heavy’.

6This punishment that was inflicted by the majority ²¹is sufficient to such a one,

7so that now, on the other side, you should forgive and comfort him, so that he not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

8Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ²²

9Now I also wrote to this end: to put you to the test, to see whether you are obedient in all things.

10If you forgive anyone, I do too; further, if indeed I have forgiven anything to someone, I have done so for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ²³

11so that we not be exploited by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions. ²⁴

An afterthought

12Also, upon arriving in Troas for the Gospel of Christ, a door having been opened to me by Sovereign, ²⁵

13I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; so taking leave of them I went on into Macedonia.

A fragrance of life

14Now thanks be to the God who always leads us in triumph in the Christ, ²⁶and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him ²⁷in every place.

15Because we are the aroma of Christ for God, among those who are being saved and among those who are being wasted ²⁸—

16to these a smell of death into death, while to those a fragrance of life into life ²⁹—and who is adequate for such things?

17However, we are not like the rest ³⁰who retail ³¹the word of God; rather, we speak in Christ, out of sincerity, as of God in His very presence. ³²