¹⁸ I will make clear my wrongdoing, with sorrow in my heart for my sin.

⁵ I made my wrongdoing clear to you, and did not keep back my sin. I said, I will put it all before the Lord; and you took away my wrongdoing and my sin. (Selah.)

¹³ He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.

³³ If I kept my evil doings covered, and my sin in the secret of my breast,

²⁷ He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin.

³ For I am conscious of my error; my sin is ever before me.

⁷ And not by his coming only, but by the comfort which he had in you, while he gave us word of your desire, your sorrow, your care for me; so that I was still more glad.

⁸ For though my letter gave you pain, I have no regret for it now, though I had before; for I see that the letter gave you pain, but only for a time.

⁹ Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything.

¹⁰ For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.

¹¹ For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business.