7
1 Therefore, having these havtachot (promises), Chaverim, let us submit to his tahorah, cleansing ourselves from every defilement of basar and ruach, perfecting kedushah (holiness) in yirat Shomayim.
2 In your levavot make a cheder for us; we wronged no one, we ruined no one, we exploited no one.* 3 I do not say this to bring you under harsha'ah, for I have said before that you are in our levavot† whether to die with you or to live with you.‡ 4 I have much ometz lev (boldness) and confidence toward you. I glory much on your behalf. I have been filled with chozek (strength). I am filled to overflowing with simcha at all of our tzoros.
5 For indeed when we had come into Macedonia§ we had no physical mano'ach (rest) but we had tzoros everywhere: battles on the outside, fears inside.* 6 But Hashem who encourages the lowly, encouraged us† by the coming of Titos; 7 And not only by the coming of him, but also by the encouragement by which he was encouraged over you, reporting to us your longing, your mourning, your kanous (zeal) for me, so that it caused me to have even more simcha. 8 Because if indeed I caused you agmat nefesh (grief) by the iggeret, I do not regret it, though I did regret it, but I see that that iggeret grieved you only briefly.‡ 9 Now I have simcha, not that you had agmat nefesh, but that your grief brought you to teshuva, for your agmat nefesh was in Hashem, so that by us you suffered in nothing.
10 For the agmat nefesh that is according to Hashem produces teshuva to Yeshu'at Eloheinu, not to be regretted, but the agmat nefesh of the Olam Hazeh produces mavet.§ 11 For, hinei, see what zerizut (diligence) this agmat nefesh of Hashem has produced in you, what defense, what indignation, what yirat Shomayim, what longing, what kanous (zeal), what onesh (punishment)! At every point you proved yourselves to be without ashma (guilt) in the matter. 12 Then though I wrote an iggeret to you, it was not for the sake of the one having done hara'ah (the evil), nor for the sake of the one who was beleidikt (offended), but for the sake of your kanous (zeal) for us becoming manifest to you before Hashem. 13 In this we have chozek (strength).
But in addition to our encouragement, we had still more simcha at the simcha of Titos, because his neshamah has been set at rest by all of you; 14 Because if I have been somewhat boastful about you Corinthians to Titos, I was in this not put to shame, but just as everything we said to you is HaEmes, so also our boasting to Titos has proven true as well. 15 And his lev (heart) goes out to you, all the more as he has zikaron of the mishma'at (obedience) of all of you* as you received him B'YIRAH (with fear) and BIRA'DAH (trembling).† 16 I have simcha that in everything I have confidence in you.
* 7:2 2C 12:17 † 7:3 2C 6:11-12; Pp 1:7 ‡ 7:3 2Sm 15:21 § 7:5 Ac 20:1-2; 2C 2:13 * 7:5 Dt 32:25 † 7:6 Isa 49:13; 2C 1:3-4 ‡ 7:8 2C 2:4 § 7:10 Mt 27:3-5; MJ 12:17 * 7:15 2C 2:9 † 7:15 Ps 2:11