CHAPTER 2
I wrote
as I did
so that
on my arrival
I would not be
saddened
by those
who
ought to make
me
rejoice.
I had confidence
in
all of
you,
that
you
would share
my
joy.
For
through
many
tears
I wrote
you
out of
great
distress
and
anguish
of heart,
not
to
grieve you
but
to
let you know
how much
I love you.
Now
if
anyone
has caused grief,
he has not grieved
me,
but
all
of you—
to
some degree,
not
to
overstate it.
So
instead,
you
ought to forgive
and
comfort him,
so that
he
will not be overwhelmed
by
excessive
sorrow.
If you forgive
anyone,
I also forgive him.
And
if
I have forgiven
anything,
I
have forgiven
it
in
the presence
of Christ
for your sake,
Now
when I went
to
Troas
to preach
the
gospel
of Christ
and
a door
stood open
for me
in
the Lord,
I had
no
peace
in
my
spirit,
because I
did not find
my
brother
Titus there.
So
I said goodbye
to them
and went on
to
Macedonia.
But
thanks be
to
God,
who
always
leads us triumphantly as captives
in
Christ
and
through
us
spreads
everywhere
the
fragrance
of
the knowledge
of Him.
For
we are
to God
the sweet aroma
of Christ
among
those who are
being saved
and
those who are
perishing.
To the one,
we are
an odor
of
death
and
demise;
to the other,
a fragrance
that brings life.
And
who is
qualified
for
such a task?
For
we are
not
like
so many others,
who
peddle
the
word
of God for profit.
On the contrary,
in
Christ
we speak
before
God
with
sincerity,
as
men sent from
God.