Dual Panel1AND I made up my mind that I would not pay you another painful visit.
2For what point is there in my depressing the very people who can give me such joy?
3The real purpose of my previous letter was in fact to save myself from being saddened by those whom I might reasonably expect to bring me joy. I felt sure that my happiness was also yours.
4I wrote to you in deep distress and out of a most unhappy heart (I don't mind telling you I shed tears over that letter), not, believe me, to cause you pain, but to show you how very deep is my love for you.
5If the behaviour of a certain person has caused distress, it does not mean so much that he has injured me, but that to some extent (I do not wish to exaggerate), he has injured all of you.
6But now I think that the punishment which most of you inflicted on such a man has been sufficient.
7Now is the time to offer him forgiveness and comfort, so that a man in his position is not completely overwhelmed by remorse.
8I ask you to assure him now that you love him.
9My previous letter was something of a testI wanted to make sure that you would follow my orders implicitly.
10If you forgive a certain person for anything, I forgive him too. Insofar as I had anything personally to forgive, I do forgive him for your sake, as before Christ.
11We don't want Satan to win any victory here, and well we know his methods!
12Well, when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, although there was an obvious Godgiven opportunity,
13I must confess I was on edge the whole time because there was no sign of brother Titus. So I said goodbye and went from there to Macedonia.
14Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on Christ's triumphant way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume!
15We Christians have the unmistakable "scent" of Christ, discernible alike to those who are bring saved and to those who are heading for death.
16To the latter it seems like the deathly smell of doom, to the former it has the refreshing fragrance of life itself. Who is fit for such a task!
17We are not like that large number who corrupt the Word of God. No, we speak in utter sincerity as men sent by God, Christ's ministers under the eyes of God.