18 Yahweh is always ready to help those who are discouraged;

he rescues those who have nothing good to hope for.

17 The sacrifice that you really want is for people to be truly humble and sorry for having sinned;

O God, you will not refuse that kind of sacrifice.

3 He enables those who were very discouraged to be encouraged again;

it is as though they have wounds and he bandages them.

26 My body and my mind may become very weak,

but God, you continue to enable me to be strong;

I belong to you forever.

15 Because this is what I, Yahweh, who am holy and greatly honored and who live forever, say:

I live in the highest heaven, where everything is holy,

but I also am with those who are humble and who are sorry for the sinful things that they have done.

I will greatly encourage [DOU] those who have repented.

2 I [MTY] have created everything;

all things exist because I made them.

That is true because I, Yahweh, have said it.

The people I am most pleased with are those who are humble,

who patiently endure it when they ◄suffer/are afflicted►,

and who tremble when they hear me rebuking them.

1 The Spirit of Yahweh our Lord is on me;

he has appointed [MTY] me to bring good news to those who are oppressed,

to comfort those who are discouraged,

to free all those who are as though they are chained/tied [DOU] by the wrong things that they continually do.

2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn about the members of their families who died (OR, who are still in Babylonia)

that now is the time when Yahweh will act kindly toward his people;

now is the time when our God will ◄get revenge on/punish► their enemies.

3 To all those in Jerusalem who mourn,

he will give flower necklaces to wear;

instead of ashes that they put on their heads to show that they are sad;

he will cause them to rejoice [MTY] instead of being sad;

he will enable them to be [MET] happy instead of being discouraged.

They will be called "people who continually do what is right,

people who are like tall/strong oak trees that Yahweh has planted"

to show others that he is very great.

3 God is pleased with people who recognize that they have a spiritual need;

he will allow them to be the people whose lives he rules over.

4 God is pleased with people who mourn because they have sinned;

they will be encouraged {he will encourage them.}

5 God is pleased with people who are meek;

they will inherit the earth that God will recreate.

10 The fact is that when God causes us to feel truly sorry for having sinned and we turn from our sinful behavior, then God saves us and will not punish us for the sinful things that we have done. And no one is ever sorry about that. However, the people who do not trust in God [MTY] may be sorry for the sinful things that they have done. But if they do not turn from their sinful behavior and ask God to forgive them, they will remain separated from him forever. 11 But think about what happened when you read my letter: God caused you to be truly sorry for what you had done. You eagerly wanted to do what was right, and you wanted to show God (OR, me) that you had done the right thing. You were angry about what had happened, and you were worried that God would punish you if the situation continued. You also wanted me to visit you to encourage and help you. You wanted me to know that you really do accept me as your apostle, and that you punished the man who had sinned, as I told you to do. By doing all of those things, you have shown me that you have done what is right in this matter.

9 But he said to me, "No, I will not take this away from you. Instead, I will kindly help you, and that will be all that you need, because it is when you are weak that I can best work powerfully to help you." So, because of what the Lord said to me, I will very gladly boast about the things that make me seem weak, so that people may realize that it is Christ who gives me power to serve him.