| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. | 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. |
| 2Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. | 2Accept us. We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, defrauded no one. |
| 3I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. | 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. |
| 4Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. | 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. |
| 5For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. | 5In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were troubled in every way: conflicts on the outside, fears inside. |
| 6Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, | 6But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, |
| 7and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. | 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. |
| 8For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. | 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. |
| 9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. | 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. |
| 10For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. | 10For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death. |
| 11For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. | 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. |
| 12Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you. | 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. |
| 13Therefore we have been comforted in your comfort. And we rejoiced exceedingly more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. | 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. |
| 14For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I am not ashamed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting to Titus was found true. | 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. |
| 15And his affections are greater for you as he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. | 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. |
| 16Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything. | 16I rejoice that I have complete confidence in you. |
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