2 Corinthians 7–10

7Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²Open your hearts to us: we wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man. ³I say it not to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together and live together. ⁴Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.

⁵For even when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. ⁶Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the coming of Titus; ⁷and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more. ⁸For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it (for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), ⁹I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing. ¹⁰For godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter. ¹²So although I wrote unto you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest unto you in the sight of God. ¹³Therefore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we joyed the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit hath been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴For if in anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, I was not put to shame; but as we spake all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth. ¹⁵And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁶I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you.

8Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; ²how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. ³For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, ⁴beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: ⁵and this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. ⁶Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also. ⁷But as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. ⁸I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. ⁹For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich. ¹⁰And herein I give my judgment: for this is expedient for you, who were the first to make a beginning a year ago, not only to do, but also to will. ¹¹But now complete the doing also; that as there was the readiness to will, so there may be the completion also out of your ability. ¹²For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according as a man hath, not according as he hath not. ¹³For I say not this that others may be eased and ye distressed; ¹⁴but by equality: your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want; that there may be equality: ¹⁵as it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack.

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷For he accepted indeed our exhortation; but being himself very earnest, he went forth unto you of his own accord. ¹⁸And we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the gospel is spread through all the churches; ¹⁹and not only so, but who was also appointed by the churches to travel with us in the matter of this grace, which is ministered by us to the glory of the Lord, and to show our readiness: ²⁰avoiding this, that any man should blame us in the matter of this bounty which is ministered by us: ²¹for we take thought for things honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. ²²And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he hath in you. ²³Whether any inquire about Titus, he is my partner and my fellow-worker to you-ward; or our brethren, they are the messengers of the churches, they are the glory of Christ. ²⁴Show ye therefore unto them in the face of the churches the proof of your love, and of our glorying on your behalf.

9For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: ²for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past; and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them. ³But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared: ⁴lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence. ⁵I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion.

⁶But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. ⁷Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work: ⁹as it is written,

He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor;

His righteousness abideth for ever.

¹⁰And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness: ¹¹ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God. ¹²For the ministration of this service not only filleth up the measure of the wants of the saints, but aboundeth also through many thanksgivings unto God; ¹³seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all; ¹⁴while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

10Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you: ²yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh ⁴(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), ⁵casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; ⁶and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full. ⁷Ye look at the things that are before your face. If any man trusteth in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Christ’s, so also are we. ⁸For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put to shame: ⁹that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. ¹⁰For, His letters, they say, are weighty and strong; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account. ¹¹Let such a one reckon this, that, what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present. ¹²For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding. ¹³But we will not glory beyond our measure, but according to the measure of the province which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even unto you. ¹⁴For we stretch not ourselves overmuch, as though we reached not unto you: for we came even as far as unto you in the gospel of Christ: ¹⁵not glorying beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors; but having hope that, as your faith groweth, we shall be magnified in you according to our province unto further abundance, ¹⁶so as to preach the gospel even unto the parts beyond you, and not to glory in another’s province in regard of things ready to our hand. ¹⁷But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸For not he that…