< 2 Corinthians 7 >
1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear.
亲爱的朋友们,由于我们做出了这样的承诺,就应该洁净自己,除去身体和心灵上的一切污秽,通过敬畏上帝达成圣洁。
2 Receive us: we have injured no one, we have ruined no one, we have made gain of no one.
请接纳我们作为你们的朋友!我们未做过任何措施,没有让任何人堕落,也没有利用过谁。
3 I do not speak for condemnation, for I have already said that ye are in our hearts, to die together, and live together.
我这样说不是为了定你们的罪,正如我之前所说,你们对我们如此重要,我们与你们可以同生共死。
4 Great [is] my boldness towards you, great my exulting in respect of you; I am filled with encouragement; I overabound in joy under all our affliction.
我愿为你们振臂高呼,因为你们让我感到如此光荣。你们就是对我最大的激励,尽管我们经历各种患难,你们让我格外欢喜。
5 For indeed, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but [we were] afflicted in every way; without combats, within fears.
我们抵达马其顿的时候,没有感到片刻的安宁。相反,我们受到了来自各方的攻击,外有争战,内有恐惧。
6 But he who encourages those that are [brought] low, [even] God, encouraged us by the coming of Titus;
尽管如此,上帝总能给沮丧之人带来鼓励。提多的到来就是我们最大的安慰。
7 and not by his coming only, but also through the encouragement with which he was encouraged as to you; relating to us your ardent desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I the more rejoiced.
我们的安慰不仅因为他的到来,还因为你们给予他的鼓励。他告诉我们,你们渴望见到我,还因为我而感到难过和忧愁,这让我更加欢喜。
8 For if also I grieved you in the letter, I do not regret [it], if even I have regretted it; for I see that that letter, if even [it were] only for a time, grieved you.
尽管我写的那封信让你们忧伤,但我并不后悔——其实我曾经感到后悔,因为那封信伤害了你们,但只是很短的一段时间。
9 Now I rejoice, not that ye have been grieved, but that ye have been grieved to repentance; for ye have been grieved according to God, that in nothing ye might be injured by us.
现在我很快乐,不是因为伤害你们,而是因为这种痛苦让你们改变了心意。你们按照上帝的旨意感到难过,所以不会因为我们而受到任何伤害。
10 For grief according to God works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.
上帝希望我们感受到的忧伤,让我们可以改变心意,获得救赎。这种忧伤不会留下遗憾,但世俗的忧伤却会招致死亡。
11 For, behold, this same thing, your being grieved according to God, how much diligence it wrought in you, but [what] excusing [of yourselves], but [what] indignation, but [what] fear, but [what] ardent desire, but [what] zeal, but [what] vengeance: in every way ye have proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.
当你们依照上帝的旨意感受到了这种忧伤,看看你们都发生了什么。还记得你们变得多么热情,渴望为自己辩护,对已经发生的事情感到愤怒,认真对待这一切,渴望做正确的事情,关注自己是谁,渴望实现正义。你们通过所有这些改变,表明你们多么诚心地渴望恢复良善正直。
12 So then, if also I wrote to you, [it was] not for the sake of him that injured, nor for the sake of him that was injured, but for the sake of our diligent zeal for you being manifested to you before God.
因此,以往我写信给你们,并未讨论谁做错事或被错误对待,而是表达了你们如何在上帝的面前为我们做出奉献。
13 For this reason we have been encouraged. And we the rather rejoiced in our encouragement more abundantly by reason of the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
这让我们备受鼓舞。我们除了感受到鼓舞之外,还很高兴看到提多的欢喜,因为你们让他心安。
14 Because if I boasted to him anything about you, I have not been put to shame; but as we have spoken to you all things in truth, so also our boasting to Titus has been [the] truth;
我向他夸赞你们,你们没有让我失望。我对你们所说的都是真话,同样,我向提多夸赞你们也是出自真心。
15 and his affections are more abundantly towards you, calling to mind the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.
提多还记起你们如何按照他所说的行事,如何以尊重的方式迎接他。这让他更加关爱你们。
16 I rejoice that in everything I am confident as to you.
很高兴我可以对你们怀有充分的信心。