For (A)even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though (B)I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but (C)because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

10 For (D)godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas (E)worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, (F)what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one (G)who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore (H)we are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit (I)has been refreshed by you all.

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For if indeed I grieved you by my letter, I do not regret it. Even if I did regret it (I see[a] that that letter grieved you, even though for a short time[b]), now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to repentance. For you were grieved according to the will of God, so that you suffered loss in no way through us. 10 For grief according to the will of God brings about a repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death. 11 For behold how much diligence this very thing, being grieved according to the will of God, has brought about in you: what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! In everything you have demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 Consequently, even if I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong or because of the one who had been wronged, but in order that your diligence on our behalf[c] might be revealed to you before God. 13 Because of this we have been encouraged, and in addition to our encouragement, we rejoiced much more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been refreshed by all of you.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 7:8 Some manuscripts have “for I see”
  2. 2 Corinthians 7:8 Literally “an hour”
  3. 2 Corinthians 7:12 Literally “on behalf of us”

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter,(A) I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation(B) and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern,(C) what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So even though I wrote to you,(D) it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong(E) nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13 By all this we are encouraged.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus(F) was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

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