The Second to the Corinthians, 7

¹ Therefore, since we have these promises, beloved ones, let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

² Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

³ I do not say this to condemn you. For I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

⁴ I have great freeness of speech toward you. I have great boasting in regard to you. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

⁵ In fact, when we arrived in Mac·e·doʹni·a, our bodies^*1 got no relief, but we continued to be afflicted in every way—there were fights on the outside, fears within.

⁶ But God, who comforts those who are downhearted, comforted us by the presence of Titus;

⁷ and not only by his presence but also by the comfort he received because of you, as he reported back to us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, and your earnest concern^*1 for me; so I rejoiced even more.

⁸ For even if I saddened you by my letter, I do not regret it. Even if I did at first regret it (seeing that the letter saddened you, though only for a little while),

⁹ now I rejoice, not because you were just saddened, but because you were saddened into repenting. For you were saddened in a godly way, so that you suffered no harm because of us.

¹⁰ For sadness in a godly way produces repentance leading to salvation, leaving no regret; but the sadness of the world produces death.

¹¹ For see what a great earnestness your being saddened in a godly way produced in you, yes, clearing of yourselves, yes, indignation, yes, fear, yes, earnest desire, yes, zeal, yes, righting of the wrong! In every respect you demonstrated yourselves to be pure^*1 in this matter.

¹² Although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the one who did the wrong, nor for the one who was wronged, but so that your earnestness for us might be made evident among you in the sight of God.

¹³ That is why we have been comforted. But in addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy of Titus, because all of you refreshed his spirit.

¹⁴ For if I have boasted to him about you, I have not been put to shame; but just as all the things we told you were true, so also our boasting to Titus has proved true.

¹⁵ Also, his tender affections toward you are greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, how you received him with fear and trembling.

¹⁶ I rejoice that in every way I may have confidence in^*1 you.