007:006 But He who comforts the depressed--even God--comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not by his coming only, 007:007 but also by the fact that he had felt comforted on your account, and by the report which he brought of your eager affection, of your grief, and of your jealousy on my behalf, so that I rejoiced more than ever. 007:008 For if I gave you pain by that letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it then. I see that that letter, even though for a time it gave you pain, had a salutary effect. 007:009 Now I rejoice, not in your grief, but because the grief led to repentance; for you sorrowed with a godly sorrow, which prevented you from receiving injury from us in any respect. 007:010 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, a repentance not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world finally produces death. 007:011 For mark the effects of this very thing--your having sorrowed with a godly sorrow--what earnestness it has called forth in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing affection, what jealousy, what meting out of justice! You have completely wiped away reproach from yourselves in the matter. 007:012 Therefore, though I wrote to you, it was not to punish the offender, nor to secure justice for him who had suffered the wrong, but it was chiefly in order that your earnest feeling on our behalf might become manifest to yourselves in the sight of God. 007:013 For this reason we feel comforted; and--in addition to this our comfort--we have been filled with all the deeper joy at Titus's joy, because his spirit has been set at rest by you all. 007:014 For however I may have boasted to him about you, I have no reason to feel ashamed; but as we have in all respects spoken the truth to you, so also our boasting to Titus about you has turned out to be the truth. 007:015 And his strong and tender affection is all the more drawn out towards you when he recalls to mind the obedience which all of you manifested by the timidity and nervous anxiety with which you welcomed him. 007:016 I rejoice that I have absolute confidence in you. 008:001 But we desire to let you know, brethren, of the grace of God which has been bestowed on the Churches of Macedonia; 008:002 how, while passing through great trouble, their boundless joy even amid their deep poverty has overflowed to increase their generous liberality. 008:003 For I can testify that to the utmost of their power, and even beyond their power, they have of their own free will given help. 008:004 With earnest entreaty they begged from us the favour of being allowed to share in the service now being rendered to God's people.