New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
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Because God, then, will give us such rewards, dear brothers, let us make ourselves clean from all evil of flesh and spirit, and become completely holy in the fear of God.
2 Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.
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Let your hearts be open to us: we have done no man wrong, no man has been damaged by us, we have made no profit out of any man,
3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
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It is not with the purpose of judging you that I say this: for I have said before that you are in our hearts for life and death together.
4 I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.
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My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—disputes without and fears within.
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For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; there were fightings outside and fears inside.
6 But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,
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But God who gives comfort to the poor in spirit gave us comfort by the coming of Titus;
7 and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.
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And not by his coming only, but by the comfort which he had in you, while he gave us word of your desire, your sorrow, your care for me; so that I was still more glad.
8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly).
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For though my letter gave you pain, I have no regret for it now, though I had before; for I see that the letter gave you pain, but only for a time.
9 Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us.
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Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.
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For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.
11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter.
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For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business.
12 So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God.
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So though I sent you a letter, it was not only because of the man who did the wrong, or because of him to whom the wrong was done, but so that your true care for us might be made clear in the eyes of God.
13 In this we find comfort. In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you.
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So we have been comforted: and we had the greater joy in our comfort because of the joy of Titus, for his spirit had been made glad by you all.
14 For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well.
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For I was not put to shame in anything in which I may have made clear to him my pride in you; but as we said nothing to you but what was true, so the good things which I said to Titus about you were seen by him to be true.
15 And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling.
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And his love to you is the more increased by his memory of you all, how you gave way to his authority, and how you took him to your hearts with fear and honour.
16 I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you.
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It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.