2 Corinthians 7
New American Standard Bible
Paul Reveals His Heart
7 Therefore, having these promises, (A)beloved, (B)let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 (C)Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said (D)before that you are (E)in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 My (F)confidence [a]in you is great; my (G)boasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with (H)comfort; I am overflowing with (I)joy in all our affliction.
5 For even when we came into (J)Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were (K)afflicted on every side: (L)conflicts on the outside, fears inside. 6 But (M)God, who comforts the [b]discouraged, (N)comforted us by the arrival of (O)Titus; 7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted among you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I (P)caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything [c]through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a (Q)repentance [d]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this [e]godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what (R)longing, what zeal, what (S)punishment of wrong! In everything you (T)demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although (U)I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of (V)the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness in our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 Because of this, we have been (W)comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of (X)Titus, because his (Y)spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if I have (Z)boasted to him about you regarding anything, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before (AA)Titus proved to be the truth. 15 His [f]affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the (AB)obedience of you all, how you received him with (AC)fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything (AD)I have confidence in you.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 7:4 Lit toward
- 2 Corinthians 7:6 Or lowly
- 2 Corinthians 7:9 Lit from
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 Or leading to a salvation without regret
- 2 Corinthians 7:11 Lit sorrow according to God
- 2 Corinthians 7:15 Lit inward parts
2 Corinthians 7
Modern English Version
7 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance
2 Accept us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, and we have defrauded no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, so that we would die or live with you. 4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting of you. I am filled with comfort, and I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.
5 For when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, and we were troubled on every side. On the outside were conflicts; on the inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us through the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, when he told us about your sincere desire, your mourning, and your zeal toward me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8 Though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I perceive that this same letter has caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorrowful in a godly way, that you might not suffer loss in any way through us. 10 Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, which you sorrowed in a godly way: What carefulness it produced in you, what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what intense desire, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In all things you have proven yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So though I wrote to you, I did it not because of him who had done the wrong, nor because of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might be evident to you. 13 Therefore we were comforted in your comfort.
Yes, and we were exceedingly the more joyful for the sake of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all. 14 So I am not ashamed if I have boasted of anything to him regarding you. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even our boasting in the presence of Titus is found to be true. 15 Now his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything.
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.