1Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2Make room for us. We wronged no one, we ruined no one, we exploited no one.
3I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
4Great is my boldness of speech toward you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I overflow with joy in all our affliction.
5For indeed, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted in every way — conflicts on the outside, fears within.
6But God, who comforts the lowly, comforted us by the coming of Titus,
7and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted over you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me — so that I rejoiced all the more.
8For even if I grieved you by the letter, I do not regret it — though I was regretting it — for I see that that letter, even if it grieved you for an hour,
9now I rejoice — not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved into repentance; for you were grieved according to God, so that in nothing you might suffer loss from us.
10For godly grief produces repentance leading to salvation, which brings no regret; but the grief of the world produces death.
11For see what earnestness this very thing — being grieved according to God — has produced in you: indeed, what defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In everything you proved yourselves to be pure in the matter.
12So then, even though 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 so that your earnestness on our behalf might be revealed to you in the sight of God.
13For this reason we have been comforted. And in addition to our comfort, we rejoiced still more abundantly over the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all;
14for if I have boasted to him anything on your behalf, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke everything to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be truth.
15And his affection toward you is all the more abundant as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.
16I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.
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