1 Dear friends, since we have these promises, we should wash ourselves clean from all that makes both body and spirit dirty, aiming for complete holiness out of reverence for God. 2 Please accept us as your friends! We haven't done anyone wrong, we haven't corrupted anyone, and we haven't taken advantage of anyone. 3 I'm not saying this to condemn you—as I already told you, you mean so much to us that we live and die together with you! 4 I speak up very strongly for you because I am so proud of you. You are such an encouragement to me. I am so happy for you despite all our troubles. 5 When we arrived in Macedonia we didn't have a minute's peace. We were attacked from every direction, with external conflicts and inner fears. 6 Even so, God who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us with Titus' arrival. 7 Not just by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him. He told us how you were longing to see me, how sorry you were, and how concerned you were about me, which made me even happier. 8 Even though I made you sorry by the letter I wrote, I don't regret it—though I did regret it because the letter did hurt you, but just for a while. 9 I'm happy now, not for hurting you, but because this pain led you to change your minds. You were made sorry in a way God would want, and so weren't harmed by us in any way. 10 The kind of sorrow God wants us to have makes us change our minds and brings salvation. This kind of sorrow leaves no sense of regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what happened to you when you had this very same experience of sorrow that God wants. Remember how enthusiastic you became, how keen you were to defend yourselves, how angry you were at what had happened, how seriously you took it, how you longed to do right, how concerned you were, how you wanted justice to be done. In all of this you showed that you were sincere in wanting to make things right. 12 So when I wrote to you, I wasn't writing about who did the wrong or who was wronged, but to show you how devoted you are to us in God's sight. 13 We are so encouraged by this. Added to our own encouragement, we were so pleased to see how happy Titus was, because you set his mind at rest. 14 I boasted to him about you, and you didn't let me down. Just as all I've told you is true, my boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true too! 15 Titus cares for you even more as he remembers how you did what he told you, how you welcomed him with great respect. 16 I am so happy that I can be completely confident of you.
2 Corinthians · Free Bible Version
2 Corinthians 7 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (16)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 2:11; James 4:8; Proverbs 8:13; Psalm 51:10
- 2 Acts 20:33; 2 Corinthians 6:12–13; 2 Corinthians 11:9; Romans 16:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:3–6
- 3 Philippians 1:8–9; 2 Corinthians 6:11–12; Ruth 1:16–17; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 12:15
- 4 2 Corinthians 1:4; James 1:2; 2 Corinthians 3:12; Romans 5:3; 1 Corinthians 1:4
- 5 2 Corinthians 2:13; Deuteronomy 32:25; 2 Corinthians 11:23–30; Matthew 11:28–30; Acts 20:1
- 6 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4; 3 John 2–4; 2 Corinthians 7:13; Jeremiah 31:13
- 7 Jude 3; 2 John 4; James 5:17; James 4:9–10; Colossians 2:5
- 8 Revelation 3:19; John 16:6; Exodus 5:22–23; Hebrews 12:9–11; Jeremiah 20:7–9
- 9 Luke 15:7; Jeremiah 31:18–20; Ecclesiastes 7:3; 2 Corinthians 13:8–10; 2 Corinthians 7:10–11
- 10 Acts 3:19; Acts 11:18; 2 Timothy 2:25–26; 2 Samuel 12:13; Luke 18:13
- 11 Romans 14:18; 1 Timothy 5:21–22; 2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 2:11; Ephesians 5:11
- 12 2 Corinthians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:5; 2 Corinthians 7:8; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 2:3–4
- 13 2 Corinthians 7:6; Romans 15:32; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Romans 12:15
- 14 2 Corinthians 7:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 1:18–20; 2 Corinthians 9:2–4; 2 Corinthians 8:24
- 15 Philippians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 3:17; Psalm 119:120; Isaiah 66:2
- 16 2 Corinthians 2:3; Philemon 8; Philemon 21; 2 Thessalonians 3:4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Again he raiseth the discourse about love, mitigating the harshness of his rebuke. For since he had convicted and reproached them as being beloved indeed, yet not loving in an equal degree, but breaking away from his love and mixing up with other pestilent fellows; again he softens the vehemence of his rebuke, saying, "Make room for us," that is, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)
For, behold, this selfsame thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you!" Consequently the Stoics may defend themselves by replying, that sorrow is indeed useful for repentance of sin, but that this can have no place in the mind of the wise man, inasmuch as no sin attaches to him of which he could …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
This Paul also clearly declared, when he said, "The sorrow of the world worketh death, but godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of." These then He too Himself calls blessed, whose sorrow is of that kind; yet not simply them that sorrow did He designate, but them that sorrow intensely.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… spectacle to angels and men, and pressing onwards for the prize of his high calling, --very joyfully do we with the eyes of faith behold him rejoicing with them that rejoice, and weeping with them that weep; though hampered by fightings without and fears within; desiring to depart and to be with Christ; longing to see the Romans, that he …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Declaring this, Paul said, "Without were fightings, within were fears;" and, "In perils among false brethren;" and in his discourse to the Milesians too He said, "Also of you shall some arise speaking perverse things;" and He Himself too said, "The man's foes shall be they of his own household." But when He said, "It must needs be," it is …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)