2 Corinthians 7

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Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians

¹Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

¹Therefore having these promises, beloved, we should cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

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

²Make room for us. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.

³I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you.

³I do not speak for condemnation; for I have before said that you are in our hearts for us to die together and to live together.

⁴Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.

⁴Much is my boldness toward you; much is my boasting on behalf of you; I have been filled with encouragement; I overabound with joy upon all our tribulation.

⁵For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.

⁵For also of our having come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest; but we are being pressed in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears within.

⁶But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

⁶But God, the One comforting the downcast, comforted us in the coming of Titus,

⁷and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.

⁷and not only in his coming, but also in the comfort with which he was comforted over you, declaring to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so as for me to rejoice the more.

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time—

⁸For if also I grieved you in the letter, I do not regret it—even if I did regret it; for I see that the letter grieved you, that even if for an hour.

⁹yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.

⁹Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved unto repentance. For you were grieved according to God, so that you might suffer loss in nothing through us.

¹⁰Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

¹⁰For grief according to God works repentance unto salvation without regret; but the grief of the world produces death.

¹¹Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

¹¹For behold how much earnestness this same thing—to have been grieved according to God—produced in you: but defense, but indignation, but fear, but longing, but zeal, but avenging! In everything, you commended yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

¹²So even if I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one having done wrong, nor for the sake of the one having suffered wrong, but for the sake of your earnestness for us being made manifest to you before God.

¹³On account of this, we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

¹³On account of this, we have been comforted. And upon our comfort, we rejoiced more abundantly rather at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

¹⁴Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.

¹⁴For if I have boasted anything to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting to Titus became truth.

¹⁵And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

¹⁵And his affections are more abundantly for you, remembering the obedience of all of you, how you received him with fear and trembling.

¹⁶I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.

¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I am confident in you.