1 H aving therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Therefore, since these promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring consecration to completeness in the fear of God.

2 R eceive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

Do open your hearts to us again. We have wronged no one, we have betrayed or corrupted no one, we have cheated or taken advantage of no one.

3 I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you.

I do not say this to reproach or condemn, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, together, whether we die or live.

4 G reat is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

I have great boldness and free and fearless confidence and cheerful courage toward you; my pride in you is great. I am filled with the comfort; with all our tribulation and in spite of it, I am overflowing with joy.

5 F or, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

For even when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no ease or rest, but we were oppressed in every way and afflicted at every turn—fighting and contentions without, dread and fears within.

6 N evertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

But God, Who comforts and encourages and refreshes and cheers the depressed and the sinking, comforted and encouraged and refreshed and cheered us by the arrival of Titus.

7 a nd not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was encouraged and refreshed and cheered as to you, while he told us of your yearning affection, of how sorry you were and how eagerly you took my part, so that I rejoiced still more.

8 F or though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

For even though I did grieve you with my letter, I do not regret, though I did regret it; for I see that that letter did pain you, though only for a little while;

9 N ow I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.

Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that in nothing you might suffer loss through us or harm for what we did.

10 F or godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly.

11 F or behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

For observe what this same godly sorrow has done for you and has produced in you: what eagerness and earnest care to explain and clear yourselves '> complicity in the condoning of incest], what indignation, what alarm, what yearning, what zeal, what readiness to mete out punishment '> to the offender]! At every point you have proved yourselves cleared and guiltless in the matter.

12 W herefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

So although I did write to you, it was not for the sake and because of the one who did wrong, nor on account of the one who suffered wrong, but in order that you might realize before God how zealously you do care for us.

13 T herefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

Therefore we are relieved and comforted and encouraged. And in addition to our own consolation, we were especially delighted at the joy of Titus, because you have all set his mind at rest, soothing and refreshing his spirit.

14 F or if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

For if I had boasted to him at all concerning you, I was not disappointed or put to shame, but just as everything we ever said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true also.

15 A nd his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

And his heart goes out to you more abundantly than ever as he recalls the submission that all of you had, and the reverence and anxiety with which you accepted and welcomed him.

16 I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

I am very happy because I now am of good courage and have perfect confidence in you in all things.