2 Corinthians 7

1Because God, then, will give us such rewards, dear brothers, let us make ourselves clean from all evil of flesh and spirit, and become completely holy in the fear of God.

1Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness inGod's fear.

2Let your hearts be open to us: we have done no man wrong, no man has been damaged by us, we have made no profit out of any man,

2Receive us: we have injured no one, we have ruined no one, we have made gain of no one.

3It is not with the purpose of judging you that I say this: for I have said before that you are in our hearts for life and death together.

3I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together.

4My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles.

4Great [is] my boldness towards you, great my exulting in respect of you; I am filled with encouragement; I overabound in joy under all our affliction.

5For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; there were fightings outside and fears inside.

5For indeed, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but [we were] afflicted in every way; without combats, within fears.

6But God who gives comfort to the poor in spirit gave us comfort by the coming of Titus;

6But he who encourages those that are [brought] low, [even]God, encouraged us by the coming of Titus;

7And not by his coming only, but by the comfort which he had in you, while he gave us word of your desire, your sorrow, your care for me; so that I was still more glad.

7and not by his coming only, but also through the encouragement with which he was encouraged as to you; relating to us your ardent desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I the more rejoiced.

8For though my letter gave you pain, I have no regret for it now, though I had before; for I see that the letter gave you pain, but only for a time.

8For if also I grieved you in the letter, I do not regret [it], if even I have regretted it; for I see that that letter, if even [it were] only for a time, grieved you.

9Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything.

9Now I rejoice, not that ye have been grieved, but that ye have been grieved to repentance; for ye have been grieved according toGod, that in nothing ye might be injured by us.

10For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.

10For grief according toGod works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.

11For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business.

11For, behold, this same thing, your being grieved according toGod, how much diligence it wrought in you, but [what] excusing [of yourselves], but [what] indignation, but [what] fear, but [what] ardent desire, but [what] zeal, but [what] vengeance: in every way ye have proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

12So though I sent you a letter, it was not only because of the man who did the wrong, or because of him to whom the wrong was done, but so that your true care for us might be made clear in the eyes of God.

12So then, if also I wrote to you, [it was] not for the sake of him that injured, nor for the sake of him that was injured, but for the sake of our diligent zeal for you being manifested to you beforeGod.

13So we have been comforted: and we had the greater joy in our comfort because of the joy of Titus, for his spirit had been made glad by you all.

13For this reason we have been encouraged. And we the rather rejoiced in our encouragement more abundantly by reason of the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

14For I was not put to shame in anything in which I may have made clear to him my pride in you; but as we said nothing to you but what was true, so the good things which I said to Titus about you were seen by him to be true.

14Because if I boasted to him anything about you, I have not been put to shame; but as we have spoken to you all things in truth, so also our boasting to Titus has been [the] truth;

15And his love to you is the more increased by his memory of you all, how you gave way to his authority, and how you took him to your hearts with fear and honour.

15and his affections are more abundantly towards you, calling to mind the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

16It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.

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