18AND I WILL BE TO YOU FOR A FATHER AND YOU YOURSELVES WILL BE TO ME FOR SONS AND DAUGHTERS, SAYS [THE] LORD ALMIGHTY. 18And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”*NoteCloseSee 2 Samuel 7:14.
1THESE THEREFORE HAVING <THE> PROMISES, BELOVED, WE MAY CLEANSE OURSELVES FROM EVERY DEFILEMENT OF FLESH AND SPIRIT PERFECTING HOLINESS IN [THE] FEAR OF GOD. Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians 1Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2DO MAKE ROOM FOR US; NO [ONE] WE HAVE WRONGED, NO [ONE] WE HAVE CORRUPTED, NO [ONE] WE HAVE EXPLOITED. 2Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.
3FOR CONDEMNATION NOT I SPEAK; I HAVE BEFORE SAID FOR THAT IN THE HEARTS OF US YOU ARE FOR [US] <THE> TO DIE TOGETHER AND TO LIVE TOGETHER. 3I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you.
4GREAT [IS] MY BOLDNESS TOWARD YOU, GREAT MY BOASTING ON BEHALF OF YOU; I HAVE BEEN FILLED <THE> WITH ENCOURAGEMENT, I OVERABOUND <THE> WITH JOY UPON ALL THE AFFLICTION OF US. 4Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.
5AND FOR WHEN WERE COMING WE INTO MACEDONIA NONE DID HAVE REST THE FLESH OF US BUT IN EVERY [WAY] WE ARE BEING PRESSED: OUTSIDE CONFLICTS, WITHIN FEARS. 5For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction— conflicts on the outside, fears within.
6BUT THE [ONE] COMFORTING THE DOWNCAST COMFORTED US <THE> GOD BY THE COMING OF TITUS; 6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,
7NOT ONLY NOW BY THE COMING OF HIM, BUT ALSO BY THE COMFORT WITH WHICH HE WAS COMFORTED AS TO YOU RELATING TO US <THE> YOUR EARNEST DESIRE, <THE> YOUR MOURNING, <THE> YOUR ZEAL FOR ME, SO AS FOR ME [THE] MORE TO REJOICE. 7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.
8FOR IF EVEN I HAVE GRIEVED YOU IN THE LETTER, NOT I DO REGRET [IT]; IF EVEN I WAS REGRETING [IT], I SEE INDEED THAT THE LETTER THAT IF EVEN FOR AN HOUR GRIEVED YOU, 8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it— for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time—
9NOW I REJOICE, NOT THAT YOU WERE GRIEVED, BUT THAT YOU WERE GRIEVED UNTO REPENTANCE; YOU WERE GRIEVED FOR ACCORDING TO GOD, SO THAT IN NOTHING YOU MAY SUFFER LOSS THROUGH US. 9yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.
10THE FOR ACCORDING TO GOD GRIEF REPENTANCE TO SALVATION WITHOUT REGRET PRODUCES, <THE> AND THE OF THE WORLD GRIEF DEATH PRODUCES. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
11BEHOLD FOR THIS VERY SAME <THE> [THING] ACCORDING TO GOD TO HAVE BEEN GRIEVED BY YOU HOW MUCH HAS PRODUCED IN YOU EARNESTNESS, BUT INSTEAD REASONED DEFENSE, BUT INDIGNATION, BUT FEAR, BUT LONGING, BUT ZEAL, BUT VINDICATION? IN EVERYTHING YOU HAVE PROVED YOURSELVES INNOCENT TO BE IN THIS MATTER. 11Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
12SO IF EVEN I WROTE TO YOU, [IT WAS] NOT FOR THE SAKE OF THE [ONE] HAVING DONE WRONG BUT NOR FOR THE SAKE OF THE [ONE] HAVING SUFFERED WRONG, BUT RATHER FOR THE SAKE OF <THE> BEING REVEALED THE EARNESTNESS OF YOU WHICH [IS] FOR US TO YOU BEFORE <THE> GOD. 12So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.
13ON ACCOUNT OF THIS WE HAVE BEEN COMFORTED. BESIDES ALSO THE COMFORT OF US [THE] MORE ABUNDANTLY NOW RATHER WE HAVE REJOICED AT THE JOY OF TITUS, BECAUSE HAS BEEN REFRESHED THE SPIRIT OF HIM BY ALL OF YOU, 13On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.
14FOR IF ANYTHING TO HIM ABOUT YOU I HAVE BOASTED, NOT I WAS PUT TO SHAME, BUT AS ALL THINGS IN TRUTH WE HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, SO ALSO THE BOASTING OF US <THE> TO TITUS, TRUTH BECAME; 14Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.
15AND THE AFFECTIONS OF HIM MORE ABUNDANTLY TOWARD YOU ARE REMEMBERING THE OF ALL OF YOU OBEDIENCE, HOW WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING YOU RECEIVED HIM. 15And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.
16I REJOICE THAT IN EVERYTHING I AM CONFIDENT IN YOU. 16I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.