7 Therefore, ahaving these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

The Corinthians’ Repentance

2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, bwe have cheated no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn; for cI have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 dGreat is my boldness of speech toward you, egreat is my boasting on your behalf. fI am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

5 For indeed, gwhen we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but hwe were troubled on every side. iOutside were conflicts, inside were fears. 6 Nevertheless jGod, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by kthe coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the 1consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

8 For even if I made you lsorry with my letter, I do not regret it; mthough I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For ngodly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; obut the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what pclearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be qclear in this matter. 12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, rbut that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

The Joy of Titus

13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit shas been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. 15 And his affections are greater for you as he remembers tthe obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that uI have confidence in you in everything.