2 Corinthians 7

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Since these promises have been made to us, my dear friends, we should wash ourselves clean ofeverything that pol utes either body or spirit, bringing our sanctification to completion in the fear of God.	1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
2 Keep a place for us in your hearts. We have not injured anyone, or ruined anyone, or taken advantageof anyone.	2 Make room for us; we have not wronged anyone, or ruined anyone, or taken advantage of anyone.
3 I am not saying this to condemn anybody; as I have already told you, you are in our hearts -- so thattogether we live and together we die.	3 I do not say this in condemnation, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, that we may die together and live together.
4 I can speak with the greatest frankness to you; and I can speak with the greatest pride about you: in alour hardship, I am fil ed with encouragement and overflowing with joy.	4 I have great confidence in you, I have great pride in you; I am filled with encouragement, I am overflowing with joy all the more because of all our affliction.
5 Even after we had come to Macedonia, there was no rest for this body of ours. Far from it; we werebeset by hardship on al sides, there were quarrels all around us and misgivings within us.	5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way--external conflicts, internal fears.
6 But God, who encourages al those who are distressed, encouraged us through the arrival of Titus;	6 But God, who encourages the downcast, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus,
7 and not simply by his arrival only, but also by means of the encouragement that you had given him, ashe told us of your desire to see us, how sorry you were and how concerned for us; so that I was al the morejoyful.	7 and not only by his arrival but also by the encouragement with which he was encouraged in regard to you, as he told us of your yearning, your lament, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
8 So now, though I did distress you with my letter, I do not regret it. Even if I did regret it -- and I realisethat the letter distressed you, even though not for long-	8 For even if I saddened you by my letter, I do not regret it; and if I did regret it ((for) I see that that letter saddened you, if only for a while),
9 I am glad now, not because you were made to feel distress, but because the distress that you werecaused led to repentance; your distress was the kind that God approves and so you have come to no kind ofharm through us.	9 I rejoice now, not because you were saddened, but because you were saddened into repentance; for you were saddened in a godly way, so that you did not suffer loss in anything because of us.
10 For to be distressed in a way that God approves leads to repentance and then to salvation with noregrets; it is the world's kind of distress that ends in death.	10 For godly sorrow produces a salutary repentance without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.
11 Just look at this present case: at what the result has been of your being made to feel distress in theway that God approves -- what concern, what defence, what indignation and what alarm; what yearning, andwhat enthusiasm, and what justice done. In every way you have cleared yourselves of blame in this matter.	11 For behold what earnestness this godly sorrow has produced for you, as well as readiness for a defense, and indignation, and fear, and yearning, and zeal, and punishment. In every way you have shown yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
12 So although I wrote a letter to you, it was not for the sake of the offender, nor for the one offended, butonly so that you yourselves should fully realise in the sight of God what concern you have for us.	12 So then even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, or on account of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your concern for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God.
13 That is what I have found encouraging. In addition to all this to encourage us, we were made al themore joyful by Titus' joy, now that his spirit has been refreshed by you al .	13 For this reason we are encouraged. And besides our encouragement, we rejoice even more because of the joy of Titus, since his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
14 And if I boasted about you to him in any way, then I have not been made to look foolish; indeed, ourboast to Titus has been proved to be as true as anything we said to you.	14 For if I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame. No, just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth.
15 His personal affection for you is all the stronger when he remembers how obedient you have all been,and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.	15 And his heart goes out to you all the more, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, when you received him with fear and trembling.
16 I am glad that I have every confidence in you.	16 I rejoice, because I have confidence in you in every respect.