1 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 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 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 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 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 gives comfort to the poor in spirit gave us comfort by the coming of Titus;

7 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.

1 所以， 亲爱的， 我们有了这些应许， 就应该洁净自己， 除去身体和心灵上的一切污秽， 存着敬畏 神的心， 达到成圣的地步。

2 你们的心要容得下我们。我们没有亏负过谁， 没有损害过谁， 也没有占过谁的便宜。

3 我这样说， 不是要定你们的罪， 因为我从前说过， 你们常在我们心里， 甚至可以同生共死。

4 我对你们大有信心， 因你们而感到十分光荣； 我心里满有安慰， 在我们的一切患难中， 格外充满喜乐。

5 我们从前到了马其顿的时候， 身体一点安宁也没有， 反而处处遭受患难， 外面有争战， 里面有恐惧。

6 但那安慰灰心的人的 神， 借着提多来到， 安慰了我们；

7 不但借着他来， 也借着他从你们所得的安慰， 安慰了我们。他把你们的渴望、你们的哀恸和你们对我的热诚， 都告诉了我们， 因此我就更加欢喜了。

8 虽然我在那封信上使你们忧伤， 但我现在并不后悔； 其实我曾经有点后悔， 因为知道那封信使你们忧伤， 虽然只是暂时的。

9 现在我快乐， 不是因为你们忧伤， 而是因为你们的忧伤带来了悔改。你们依照 神的意思忧伤， 凡事就不会因我们受到亏损。

10 因为依照 神的意思而有的忧伤， 可以生出没有懊悔的悔改， 以致得救； 世俗的忧伤却会招致死亡。

11 看哪， 你们依照 神的意思忧伤， 在你们中间就产生了怎样的热情、申诉、愤慨、战兢、渴望、热诚、正义； 你们在各方面都表明了自己在那事上是清白的。

12 因此， 从前我虽然写过信给你们， 却不是为了那亏负人的， 也不是为了那受害的， 而是在 神面前把你们对我们的热情， 向你们显现出来。

13 因此， 我们得了安慰。在这安慰之外， 我们因提多的喜乐就更加欢喜， 因为他的心从你们众人那里得到畅快。

14 我若对他夸奖过你们什么， 也不觉得惭愧。我们对你们所说的是真话， 照样， 我们在提多面前夸奖你们的也是真的。

15 并且他想起你们众人的服从， 怎样恐惧战兢地接待他， 他怀念你们的心就更加热切了。

16 现在我很欢喜， 因为在一切事上我对你们都有信心。