2 Kwabasekhorinte 7

1 Lokhu silalezizithembiso, bathandekayo, asizihlambululeni kukho konke ukungcola kwenyama lokomoya, siphelelise ubungcwele ekwesabeni uNkulunkulu.

My friends, whom I love, because [God] has promised [to accept us(inc) as his children], we [(inc)] must stop doing anything that is sinful. We must not do sinful things with our bodies, and we must not [think] sinful thoughts. [Because] we greatly revere God, we must strive to [live] a completely pure life. By doing that we will become the kind of people that he wants us to be.

2 Semukeleni; kasonanga muntu, kasonakalisanga muntu, kasidlelezelanga muntu.

So, as I just wrote, I want you to love me (OR, us [IDM] [who are true apostles of Christ]). I/we [(exc)] have never done anything wrong to any of you. I/we have not done anything to harm any one of you spiritually or financially. And I/we have not tried to get money from [you] (for myself/for ourselves).

3 Kangikhulumeli ukulisola; ngoba ngatsho phambili, ukuthi lisenhliziyweni zethu ukuthi sife ndawonye siphile ndawonye.

[It is true that some people among you have said that I have done such things. Nevertheless], I am not trying to make you all feel ashamed because, as I wrote before, I will continue to love you all very much [IDM], whether I live with you or die with you. I am very confident about you.

4 Sikhulu isibindi sami senkulumo kini, ngilokuziqhenya okukhulu ngani; ngigcwele induduzo; ngengezelelwe kakhulu intokozo kuyo yonke inhlupheko yethu.

I am very pleased with you. You have greatly encouraged me, so that I am now very joyful in spite of all the hardships that I have endured.

5 Ngoba lekufikeni kwethu eMakedoniya, inyama yethu kayibanga lokuphumula, kodwa sabandezelwa ezintweni zonke; ngaphandle ingxabano, ngaphakathi ukwesaba.

Now [I will write more about what I was saying about Titus]. When I [left Troas and] came [here to] Macedonia [province], I still did not get any rest. Everywhere we [(exc)] went, [people were constantly] causing us trouble. [And not only were] people [constantly causing us] trouble, but I was greatly concerned [about you all].

6 Kodwa uNkulunkulu, oduduza abadanileyo, wasiduduza ekufikeni kukaTitosi;

But God, who always encourages his people when they are discouraged, encouraged us by [sending] Titus back to us.

7 njalo kungeyisikho ekufikeni kwakhe kuphela, kodwa langenduduzo aduduzeka ngayo ngani, lapho esilandisela ukulangatha kwenu, ukudabuka kwenu, ukungitshisekela kwenu, ngaze ngathokoza kakhulu.

I was encouraged by [seeing] Titus, [but when I heard how] you had encouraged him, that encouraged me even more. He told me how much you wanted [to see me. He told me] that you were very sorry [that you had made me so unhappy. He also told me] that you are very eager for me [to continue to serve as your apostle. When Titus told me those things], I was very, very happy.

8 Ngoba lanxa ngalidabukisa ngencwadi, kangizisoli; lanxa ngazisola; ngoba ngibona ukuthi leyoncwadi yalidabula, loba kungokwesikhathi.

Even though what [I wrote] in my letter (distressed you/made you sad), I am not sorry [that I wrote it]. For a while I was sorry that I had written it, [because I knew that it would distress you]. Now [Titus has also told] me that it did distress you [when you read it], but you were distressed only for a short time.

9 Khathesi ngiyathokoza, kungeyisikho ukuthi ladatshulwa, kodwa ukuthi ladatshulelwa ekuphendukeni; ngoba ladatshulwa ngokukaNkulunkulu, ukuze lingalahlekelwa lutho ngenxa yethu.

[So now] I am happy [that I wrote it]. I am not happy that you were distressed {that [I] distressed you}, but [I am happy] because, when you became distressed, you felt sorry for what you had done and [you asked God to forgive you. What I mean is that you felt sorry in the way that God wanted you to feel sorry, so my making] you feel sorry did not harm you at all.

10 Ngoba ukudabuka ngokukaNkulunkulu kuletha ukuphenduka kube lusindiso ongezisole ngalo; kodwa ukudabuka komhlaba kuletha ukufa.

[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 Ngoba khangelani, leyo into, ukuthi ladatshulwa ngokukaNkulunkulu, ukuthi kuveze kini ukukhuthala okungakanani, yebo, ukuziphendulela, yebo, ukuthukuthela, yebo, ukwesaba, yebo, ukulangatha, yebo, ukutshiseka, yebo, impindiselo. Kukho konke lazibonakalisa ukuthi limsulwa kule indaba.

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.

12 Uba-ke lami ngalibhalela, kungeyisikho ngenxa yalowo owonayo, njalo kungeyisikho ngenxa yalowo owoniweyo, kodwa ukuze ukulikhuthalela kwethu kubonakaliswe kini phambi kukaNkulunkulu.

So, even though I wrote that [severe] letter to you, I did not [write it just] so that [you would punish] the man who had done what was wrong. Also, I [did not write it] for the benefit of the person whom [he] had wronged. Instead, [I wrote it] so that, when you [read the letter], God would enable you to realize how much you really do respect [my authority].

13 Ngalokho siduduzekile ngenduduzo yenu; yebo sathokoza ngokwengezelelweyo kakhulu ngentokozo kaTitosi, ngoba umoya wakhe uvuselelwe ngokuvela kini lonke;

So, [because you listened to me and did what I asked you to do], (I was/we [(exc)] were all) encouraged. Not only (was I/were we) encouraged, but (I was/we [(exc)] were) [also] very happy to see how happy Titus was [when he arrived here. He told me/us that] he did not need to worry any more, because [he saw] that you all [had a good attitude toward me].

14 ngoba uba ngazincomela lina ngolutho kuye kangiyangekanga; kodwa njengoba sakukhuluma konke kini ngeqiniso, ngokunjalo lokuzincoma kwethu okwakukuTitosi kwaba liqiniso.

I had told Titus that I was pleased about you. And I did not need to be ashamed [for feeling that way about you, because you did what I knew that you would do]. Just like everything that I have taught you [and written to you] has been the truth, the good things that I told Titus about you were also true.

15 Isihelo sakhe sesengezelelwe kakhulu kini, lapho ekhumbula ukulalela kwenu lonke, ukuthi lamemukela njani ngokwesaba langokuthuthumela.

Now he happily remembers how you all [were willing to] do [what I asked you to do]. He is [also happy about the way you] treated him with great respect. [When he thinks about those things], [it makes] him love you even more [than he did when he was with you].

16 Ngakho ngiyathokoza ukuthi ngiyalithemba kukho konke.

[As for me], I am very happy [because now] I am certain that I can depend on you [to do what you know God wants you to do].