Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians 1 UST So then,{ fellow believers} whom I love, because God has promised these things to us, we should get rid of everything that defiles us on the outside and on the inside. We should become completely holy as we fear God. BSB BSB: Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 UST { We ask you to} care for us! We have not hurt, cheated, or destroyed anyone. BSB BSB: Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.
3 UST I am not saying these things to blame you. In fact, as I have already written{ in this letter}, we care for you greatly, no matter what happens. BSB BSB: I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you.
4 UST I am very confident{ that} you{ will do what is right}.{ In fact,} I often say great things about you. You encourage me greatly, and I rejoice very much{ about you} even while we are suffering. BSB BSB: Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.
5 UST Now to return{ to how I traveled}, when we arrived in Macedonia, things did not get easier for us. Instead, we suffered in many ways. Other people quarreled with us, and we ourselves were often afraid. BSB BSB: For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.
6 UST However, God encourages people who feel discouraged. He encouraged us by having Titus join{ us}. BSB BSB: But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
7 UST { God encouraged us} partly by having Titus join{ us}, but even more by how what you did encourages Titus. He has told us that you want{ to see me}, that you are sorry{ for what you did}, and that you strive to honor me. Because of those things, I rejoiced more{ than I did before}. BSB BSB: and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.
8 UST I am not sorry{ that I wrote the previous letter}, even though I hurt you with what I wrote. In fact, the only reason I would be sorry{ that I wrote it} is that I know that the letter hurt you, although only for a little while. BSB BSB: Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time—
9 UST However, now{ that Titus has told us about you,} I am very happy.{ I am happy} not because I hurt you. Rather,{ I am happy} because when I hurt you, you became sorry{ for what you did} and stopped{ doing it}. In fact, you felt hurt in a way that honors God. So, we have not deprived you of anything good. BSB BSB: yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.
10 UST { That is} because, when people feel hurt in a way that honors God, it causes them to be sorry{ for what they did} and stop{ doing it}. They are not sorry{ that they felt hurt}, because{ God uses how they feel} to rescue them. However, when people feel hurt in the way that most people do,{ how they feel} eventually causes them to die. BSB BSB: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
11 UST As for you, when you felt hurt in this way that honors God, it certainly caused you to be very eager{ to do what is right}. You argued that you were not guilty. You were upset{ about what had happened}. You feared{ what might happen}. You wanted{ to see us}. You strove to honor{ us}. You punished{ the person who had done what was wrong}. By doing all{ those things}, you have shown that you have done what is right in response to what happened. BSB BSB: Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
12 UST So then, when I sent{ the previous letter} to you, I was not primarily dealing with the person who did what was wrong. Also, I was not primarily dealing with the person whom he hurt. Rather, I intended to show you how eager you are{ to act rightly} toward us and that God approves{ of this}. BSB BSB: So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.
13 UST Since you responded in these ways, you have encouraged us. In fact, although you did encourage us, we are even more happy about how you made Titus happy.{ You did that} when you all comforted and strengthened him. BSB BSB: On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
14 UST { We were this happy} because you did not disgrace me after I had said great things about you to Titus. Instead, Titus found out that the great things we said about you were actually true.{ This is} just like how everything we told you was also true. BSB BSB: Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.
15 UST Titus recalls how you all obeyed us, particularly how you feared him when he arrived.{ Because of that,} he cares about you even more now. BSB BSB: And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.
16 UST I am happy that I am completely sure that you{ are doing what is right}. BSB BSB: I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.