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 cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

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.

Open your hearts to us. We wronged no one. We corrupted no one. We took advantage 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 say this not to condemn you, for I have said before, that you 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 is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy in 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 even when we had come into Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side. Fightings were outside. Fear was inside.

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.

Nevertheless, he who comforts the lowly, God, comforted 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 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.

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 though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you sorry, though just for a while.

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.

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.

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 godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces 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, 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.

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 although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of 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.

Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for 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.

For if in anything I have boasted to him on your behalf, I was not disappointed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be 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.

His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you 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 concerning you.