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- ¶ BUT I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in sadness.
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- For if I make you sad, who can make me happy, but him whom I made sad?
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- And I wrote this same thing to you, so that when I come to you I may not be made sad by those who ought to make me joyful, having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.
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- For out of great affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote you with many tears;
not to make you feel distressed, but that you may know the abundant love I have for you.
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- ¶ But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me only, but to a certain degree all of you;
therefore the news will not be a shock to you.
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- The rebuke of many persons is sufficient for such a man.
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- So that from henceforth you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one will be overcome with excessive grief.
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- I beseech you therefore that you confirm your love toward him.
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- For that is why I wrote you, that I might know by your word whether you are obedient in all things.
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- To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also;
for anything which I have forgiven, to whomever I forgave it, it is for your sakes I forgave it in the presence of Christ,
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- Lest Satan might take advantage of us;
for we know his devices.
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- ¶ Furthermore, when I came to Troas with the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened to me in the Lord,
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- I could not rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother;
hence I took leave of them and left for Macedonia.
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- Now thanks be to God, who has made us in the pattern of Christ, and makes manifest the savour of his knowledge through us in every place.
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- For we are a sweet savour to God through Christ, in those who are saved and in those who perish;
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- To the one the savour of death to death;
and to the other the savour of life to life. And who is worthy of these things?
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- For we are not like those who corrupt the word of God;
but according to the truth, and as men of God we speak through Christ in the sight of God.
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