2 Corinthians 7-9

American Standard Version

7 ¹ Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

^2 [a]Open your hearts to us: we wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man. ³ I say it not to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together and live together. ⁴ Great 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.

⁵ For 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. ⁶ Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the ^[b]coming of Titus; ⁷ and not by his ^[c]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. ⁸ For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it ^[d](for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season), ⁹ I 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. ¹⁰ For godly sorrow worketh repentance ^[e]unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. ¹¹ For 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. ¹² So 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. ¹³ Therefore 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. ¹⁴ For 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. ¹⁵ And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him. ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you.

8 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which hath been given in the churches of Macedonia; ² how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their ^[f]liberality. ³ For according to their power, I bear witness, yea and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, ⁴ beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints: ⁵ and this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God. ⁶ Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also. ⁷ But as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in ^[g]your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. ⁸ I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love. ⁹ For 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. ¹⁰ And 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. ¹¹ But now complete the doing also; that as there was the readiness to will, so there may be the completion also out of your ability. ¹² For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according as a man hath, not according as he hath not. ¹³ For I say not this that others may be eased and ye distressed; ¹⁴ but 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: ¹⁵ as it is written, ^[h]He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack.

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

9 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: ² for 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 ^[l]your zeal hath stirred up ^[m]very many of them. ³ But 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: ⁴ lest 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. ⁵ I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised ^[n]bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of ^[o]extortion.

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

¹⁰ And 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: ¹¹ ye being enriched in everything unto all ^[t]liberality, which worketh through us thanksgiving to God. ¹² For 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; ¹³ seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the ^[u]gospel of Christ, and for the ^[v]liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all; ¹⁴ while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, long after you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.