⁹ I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing.

⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

⁹ For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. And this we also pray for, even your perfecting.

¹⁰ For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not deal sharply when present, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for tearing down.

²¹ testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus.{TR adds "Christ"}

⁸ For though I should boast somewhat abundantly concerning our authority, (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down) I will not be disappointed,

⁹ that I may not seem as if I desire to terrify you by my letters.

¹⁰ For, "His letters," they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised."

¹⁰ For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death.

¹¹ For behold, this same thing, that you were made sorry in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vengeance! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter.

⁶ Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

⁷ and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, while he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced still more.

¹⁶ to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

¹² For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

³² But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'"

¹⁷ But when he came to himself he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger!

¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.

¹⁹ I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."'

²⁰ "He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

²¹ The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²² "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

²³ Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;

²⁴ for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.' They began to celebrate.

¹⁰ Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting."

⁷ I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

¹⁰ I will pour on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they will look to me{After "me," the Hebrew has the two letters "Aleph Tav" (the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), not as a word, but as a grammatical marker.} whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for his firstborn.

¹⁸ I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus], You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed [to the yoke]: turn you me, and I shall be turned; for you are Yahweh my God.

¹⁹ Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I struck on my thigh: I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

²⁰ Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says Yahweh.

⁹ He said, "Go, and tell this people, 'You hear indeed, But don't understand; And you see indeed, But don't perceive.'

¹⁰ Make the heart of this people fat; Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And turn again, and be healed."

¹¹ Then I said, "Lord, how long?" He answered, "Until cities are waste without inhabitant, And houses without man, And the land becomes utterly waste,

³ Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.

¹⁸ For I will declare my iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin.