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2 Corinthians 7:1–11:33
The New King James Version
7 Therefore, ahaving these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
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.
13 Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit shas 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 tthe obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16 Therefore I rejoice that uI have confidence in you in everything.
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 atheir 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 1that we would receive the gift and bthe fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first cgave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the dwill of God. 6 So ewe urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as fyou abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see gthat you abound in this grace also.
8 hI 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, ithat though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become jrich.
10 And in this kI give advice: lIt is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and mwere 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 nif 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, o“He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
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16 But thanks be to God who 2puts 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 pthe brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, 19 and not only that, but who was also qchosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us rto 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 sproviding 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 tTitus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are umessengers 3of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore show to them, 4and before the churches the proof of your love and of our vboasting on your behalf.
9 Now concerning athe ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a byear ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. 3 cYet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this 1confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to 2exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a 3grudging obligation.
6 dBut this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows 4bountifully will also reap 4bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, enot grudgingly or of 5necessity; for fGod loves a cheerful giver. 8 gAnd God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:
h“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now 6may He who isupplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, 7supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your jrighteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, kwhich causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only lsupplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they mglorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal nsharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding ograce of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God pfor His indescribable gift!
10 Now aI, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—bwho in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you cthat when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 dFor the weapons eof our warfare are not 1carnal but fmighty in God gfor pulling down strongholds, 5 hcasting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 iand being ready to punish all disobedience when jyour obedience is fulfilled.
7 kDo you look at things according to the outward appearance? lIf anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even 2so mwe are Christ’s. 8 For even if I should boast somewhat more nabout our authority, which the Lord gave 3us for 4edification and not for your destruction, oI shall not be ashamed—9 lest I seem to terrify you by letters. 10 “For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but phis bodily presence is weak, and his qspeech contemptible.” 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.
12 rFor we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13 sWe, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), tfor it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; 15 not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, uin other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, 16 to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
17 But v“he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 18 For wnot he who commends himself is approved, but xwhom the Lord commends.
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