| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God. | 1Since we have these promises, dear friends, let's cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God. |
| 2Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one. | 2Make room for us in your hearts! We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. |
| 3I don't say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together. | 3I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. |
| 4I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you. I am filled with encouragement; I am overcome with joy in all our afflictions. | 4I have great confidence in you. I am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles. |
| 5In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside. | 5For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears. |
| 6But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, | 6Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, |
| 7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. | 7and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier. |
| 8For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it--even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while. | 8If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. |
| 9Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn't experience any loss from us. | 9Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way. |
| 10For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death. | 10For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death. |
| 11For consider how much diligence this very thing--this grieving as God wills--has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter. | 11See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter. |
| 12So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God. | 12So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God. |
| 13For this reason we have been comforted. In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you. | 13This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you. |
| 14For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. | 14For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true. |
| 15And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling. | 15His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. |
| 16I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you. | 16I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you. |
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