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.