1 T herefore, 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.

Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear.

2 D o 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.

Receive us: we have injured no one, we have ruined no one, we have made gain of no one.

3 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.

I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together.

4 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.

Great my boldness towards you, great my exulting in respect of you; I am filled with encouragement; I overabound in joy under all our affliction.

5 F or 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.

For indeed, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but afflicted in every way; without combats, within fears.

6 B ut 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.

But he who encourages those that are low, God, encouraged us by the coming of Titus;

7 a nd 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.

and not by his coming only, but also through the encouragement with which he was encouraged as to you; relating to us your ardent desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I the more rejoiced.

8 F or 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;

For if also I grieved you in the letter, I do not regret, if even I have regretted it; for I see that that letter, if even only for a time, grieved you.

9 Y et 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.

Now I rejoice, not that ye have been grieved, but that ye have been grieved to repentance; for ye have been grieved according to God, that in nothing ye might be injured by us.

10 F or 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.

For grief according to God works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.

11 F or 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.

For, behold, this same thing, your being grieved according to God, how much diligence it wrought in you, but excusing, but indignation, but fear, but ardent desire, but zeal, but vengeance: in every way ye have proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

12 S o 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.

So then, if also I wrote to you, not for the sake of him that injured, nor for the sake of him that was injured, but for the sake of our diligent zeal for you being manifested to you before God.

13 T herefore 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.

For this reason we have been encouraged. And we the rather rejoiced in our encouragement more abundantly by reason of the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

14 F or 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.

Because if I boasted to him anything about you, I have not been put to shame; but as we have spoken to you all things in truth, so also our boasting to Titus has been truth;

15 A nd 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.

and his affections are more abundantly towards you, calling to mind the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

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

I rejoice that in everything I am confident as to you.