2 Corinthians 7-8

New King James Version

The Corinthians’ Repentance

7 Therefore,^(A) having 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, ^(B)we have cheated no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn; for ^(C)I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ^4 (D)Great is my boldness of speech toward you, ^(E)great is my boasting on your behalf. ^(F)I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.

⁵ For indeed, ^(G)when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but ^(H)we were troubled on every side. ^(I)Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. ⁶ Nevertheless ^(J)God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by ^(K)the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by the ^[a]consolation 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 ^(L)sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; ^(M)though 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 ^(N)godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; ^(O)but 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 ^(P)clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be ^(Q)clear 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, ^(R)but 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 ^(S)has 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 ^(T)the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. ¹⁶ Therefore I rejoice that ^(U)I have confidence in you in everything.

Excel in Giving

8 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: ² that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and ^(V)their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. ³ For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, ⁴ imploring us with much urgency ^[b]that we would receive the gift and ^(W)the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ⁵ And not only as we had hoped, but they first ^(X)gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the ^(Y)will of God. ⁶ So ^(Z)we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. ⁷ But as ^(AA)you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see ^(AB)that you abound in this grace also.

Christ Our Pattern

^8 (AC)I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AD)that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become ^(AE)rich.

¹⁰ And in this ^(AF)I give advice: ^(AG)It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and ^(AH)were desiring to do a year ago; ¹¹ but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. ¹² For ^(AI)if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; ¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, ^(AJ)“He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

Collection for the Judean Saints

¹⁶ But thanks be to God who ^[c]puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ And we have sent with him ^(AK)the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, ¹⁹ and not only that, but who was also ^(AL)chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us ^(AM)to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, ²⁰ avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— ^21 (AN)providing honorable things, 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 often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. ²³ If anyone inquires about ^(AO)Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are ^(AP)messengers^[d] of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show to them, ^[e]and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our ^(AQ)boasting on your behalf.