Therefore, having these promises, ^abeloved, ^blet’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 ^aMake room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said ^abefore that you are ^bin our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 My ^aconfidence ¹in you is great; my ^bboasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with ^ccomfort; I am overflowing with ^djoy in all our affliction.

5 For even when we came into ^aMacedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were ^bafflicted on every side: ^cconflicts on the outside, fears inside. 6 But ^aGod, who comforts the ¹discouraged, ^bcomforted us by the arrival of ^cTitus; 7 and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted among you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I ^acaused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything ¹through us. 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a ^arepentance ¹without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this ¹godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what ^alonging, what zeal, what ^bpunishment of wrong! In everything you ^cdemonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although ^aI wrote to you, it was not for the sake of ^bthe offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness in our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 Because of this, we have been ^acomforted.

And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of ^bTitus, because his ^cspirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if I have ^aboasted to him about you regarding anything, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before ^bTitus proved to be the truth. 15 His ¹affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the ^aobedience of you all, how you received him with ^bfear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything ^aI have confidence in you.

Therefore, since we have these great and wonderful promises, ^abeloved, ^blet us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God’s purpose in the fear of God.

2 ^aMake room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said ^abefore that you are nested ^bin our hearts and you will remain there to die together and to live together with us. 4 Great is my ^aconfidence in you; great is my ^bpride and boasting on your behalf. I am filled to the brim with ^ccomfort; I am overflowing with ^djoy in spite of all our trouble.

5 For even when we arrived in ^aMacedonia our bodies had no rest, but we were ^boppressed at every turn—^cconflicts and disputes without, fears and dread within. 6 But ^aGod, who comforts and encourages the depressed and the disquieted, ^bcomforted us by the arrival of ^cTitus. 7 And not only by his arrival, but also by his account of the encouragement which he received in regard to you. He told us about your longing for us, your mourning over sin, and how eagerly you took my part and supported me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For even though I ^adid grieve you with my ¹letter, I do not regret it now; though I did regret it—for I see that the letter hurt you, though only for a little while— 9 yet I am glad now, not because you were hurt and made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance and you turned back to God; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that you might not suffer loss in anything on our account. 10 For godly sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces a ^arepentance without regret, leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow the hopeless sorrow of those who do not believe produces death. 11 For you can look back and see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves against charges that you tolerate sin, what indignation at sin, what fear of offending God, what ^alonging for righteousness and justice, what passion to do what is right, what readiness to ^bpunish those who sin and those who tolerate sin! At every point you have ^cproved yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So even though ^aI wrote to you as I did, it was not for the sake of ^bthe offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but in order to make evident to you before God how earnestly you do care for us and your willingness to accept our authority. 13 It is for this reason that we are ^acomforted and encouraged.

And in addition to our comfort, we were especially delighted at the joy of ^bTitus, because you have refreshed his ^cspirit. 14 For if I have ^aboasted to him at all concerning you, I was not disappointed. But just as everything we ever said to you was true, so our boasting about you to ^bTitus has proved true also. 15 His affection is greater than ever as he remembers the ^aobedience to his guidance that all of you exhibited, and how you received him with ^bthe greatest respect. 16 I rejoice that in everything ^aI have perfect confidence in you.