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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For even if I made you sad[a] by my letter,[b] I do not regret having written it[c] (even though I did regret it,[d] for[e] I see that my letter made you sad,[f] though only for a short time). Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad,[g] but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended,[h] so that you were not harmed[i] in any way by us. 10 For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. 11 For see what this very thing, this sadness[j] as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves,[k] what indignation,[l] what alarm, what longing, what deep concern,[m] what punishment![n] In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12 So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf[o] before God. 13 Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit.[p]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 7:8 tn Grk “if I grieved you.”
  2. 2 Corinthians 7:8 sn My letter. Paul is referring to the “severe” letter mentioned in 2 Cor 2:4.
  3. 2 Corinthians 7:8 tn Grk “I do not regret”; direct objects in Greek must often be supplied from the context. Here one could simply supply “it,” but since Paul is referring to the effects of his previous letter, clarity is improved if “having written it” is supplied.
  4. 2 Corinthians 7:8 tn Grk “I did regret”; the direct object “it” must be supplied from the context.
  5. 2 Corinthians 7:8 tc A few significant mss (P46c B D* it sa) lack γάρ (gar, “for”), while the majority of witnesses have it (א C D1 F G Ψ 0243 33 1739 1881 M sy bo). Even though P46* omits γάρ, it has the same sense (viz., a subordinate clause) because it reads the participle βλέπων (blepōn, “seeing”; the Vulgate does the same). A decision is difficult because although the overwhelming external evidence is on the side of the conjunction, the lack of γάρ is a significantly harder reading, for the whole clause is something of an anacoluthon. Without the conjunction, the sentence reads more harshly. This would fit with Paul’s “vehemence of spirit” (A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament, 435) that is found especially in 2 Corinthians and Galatians. However, the mss that omit the conjunction are prone to such tendencies at times. In this instance, the conjunction should probably stand.
  6. 2 Corinthians 7:8 tn Grk “my letter grieved you.”
  7. 2 Corinthians 7:9 tn Grk “were grieved” (so also twice later in the verse).
  8. 2 Corinthians 7:9 tn Grk “corresponding to God,” that is, corresponding to God’s will (κατὰ θεόν, kata theon). The same phrase occurs in vv. 10 and 11.
  9. 2 Corinthians 7:9 tn Grk “so that you did not suffer loss.”
  10. 2 Corinthians 7:11 tn Grk “this very thing, to be grieved.”
  11. 2 Corinthians 7:11 tn The words “of yourselves” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
  12. 2 Corinthians 7:11 sn What indignation refers to the Corinthians’ indignation at the offender.
  13. 2 Corinthians 7:11 tn Or “what zeal.”
  14. 2 Corinthians 7:11 sn That is, punishment for the offender.
  15. 2 Corinthians 7:12 tn Grk “but in order that your eagerness on our behalf might be revealed to you.”
  16. 2 Corinthians 7:13 tn Or “all of you have put his mind at ease.”