1Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. ⁸⁸

Introduction

2Make room for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.

3I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you are in our hearts, whether to die together or to live together.

4I have great confidence in you; I do a lot of boasting about you. I am filled with encouragement, overflowing with joy in spite of all our affliction.

Enter Titus

5Now indeed, when we came into Macedonia we had no physical rest, but were surrounded by affliction—conflicts on the outside, fears on the inside.

6But the God who encourages the lowly encouraged us by the coming of Titus;

7and not only by his coming, but also by how much he was encouraged over you as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal in my stead, so that I rejoiced even more.

The effect of the first letter

8Even though that letter caused you sorrow, I do not regret it (though I almost did), because I perceive that the letter made you sorry, though only for a while.

9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry as God intended, so as not to be harmed by us in any way. ⁸⁹

10Now godly sorrow produces repentance into salvation without regret, but the world's sorrow produces death. ⁹⁰

11Just consider your own being caused to sorrow in a godly manner, how much diligence it produced in you—what self-defense, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have demonstrated yourselves to be clear in the matter.

12So even though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the wrongdoer, nor for that of the victim, but, before God, so that your real commitment to us might be made clear to you. ⁹¹

13We have been encouraged by all this. Titus again Because of your ⁹²encouragement, we rejoiced all the more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

14Because wherein I boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but just as everything we spoke to you was true, so also our boasting to Titus proved to be true.

15Also, his affection for you is all the greater, as he remembers your collective obedience as you received him with fear and trembling.

16I am so glad that I have complete confidence in you. ⁹³