2 Corinthians 7

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

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

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

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

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

I 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.

4 Great [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.

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

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

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

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

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

7 and 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.

and 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.

8 For 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.

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

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

And 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.

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

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

11 For, behold, this same thing, your being grieved according to God, 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.

Consider 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.

12 So 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 before God.

So 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.

13 For 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.

On 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.

14 Because 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;

Indeed, 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.

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

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

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

I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.