| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for 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. |
| 2Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, we have exploited no one. | 2Make room for us in your hearts! We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. |
| 3I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you. | 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 take great pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering. | 4I have great confidence in you. I am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles. |
| 5For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest at all, but we were troubled in every way--struggles from the outside, fears from within. | 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 encourages the downhearted, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. | 6Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, |
| 7We were encouraged not only by his arrival, but also by the encouragement you gave him, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your deep concern for me, so that I rejoiced more than ever. | 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 made you sad by my letter, I do not regret having written it (even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad, though only for a short time). | 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 made sad, but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by 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 sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about 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 see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent 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 then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong, or on account of the one who was wronged, but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before 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. |
| 13Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit. | 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 boasted to him about anything concerning you, I have not been embarrassed by you, but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus about you has proved true as well. | 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 for you is much greater when he remembers the obedience of you all, how you welcomed 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 because in everything I am fully confident in you. | 16I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you. |
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