7:1 So since we have these promises, dear ones, let us wash away everything that pollutes body and spirit, bringing us to holiness out of respect for God.

7:2 Make room for us! We haven’t wronged anyone, destroyed anyone, or demanded more than we deserve from anyone.

7:3 I’m not saying this to condemn you, because I told you before that you are in our hearts, whether we live or die together.

7:4 I have been blunt and open with you all and have bragged about you.You have encouraged me greatly to the point that my happiness knows no bounds, in spite of all the pressure we’ve been under.

7:5 For even when we came into Macedonia no one eased our physical suffering, and we suffered both with outer struggles and inner fears.

7:6 But God, the advocate for the oppressed, consoled us with the arrival of Titus.

7:7 Not only that, but he also brought with him the consolation you gave him; he told us of your aching, extreme anguish, and passion for my sake. And that made me very happy.

7:8 So even if the letter I wrote upset you, I don’t regret it, because it only upset you for a time.

7:9 But now I’m happy— not because I upset you, but because this hour of sadness caused you to change your minds. That was Godly sorrow so that you would not lose out on anything because of us.

7:10 This kind of sorrow is what causes people to change their minds for salvation without regret; in contrast, worldly sorrow only leads to death.

7:11 Look at all the things this Godly sorrow put you through: diligence, defense, indignation, fear, longing, passion, and vindication. At the end of it all you commended yourselves as pure in the matter.

7:12 Consequently, I didn’t write to you just for the guilty party or the victim, but to get you to see your devotion to us before God. Because of all that we have been more than consoled.

7:13 We are very happy for Titus, whose spirit was soothed by you all.

7:14 For you did not make my bragging about you an embarrassment; just as we always speak the truth to you, our bragging about you to Titus proved to be true as well.

7:15 He is all the more endeared to you as he remembers your compliance and how you welcomed him with genuine concern.

7:16 I am very happy and encouraged about you in all of this.