1 He proceeds in exhorting them to purity of life, 2 and to bear him like affection as he does to them. 3 Whereof, lest he might seeme to doubt, he declares what comfort he took in his afflictions, by the report which Titus gave of their godly sorrow, which his former Epistle had wrought in them, 13 and of their loving kindness and obedience towards Titus, answerable to his former boastings of them.

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

² Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

³ I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that you are in our hearts to die and live with you.

⁴ Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

⁵ For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fights, within were fears.

⁶ Nevertheless God, that comforts those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

⁷ And not by his coming only, but by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.

⁸ For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same letter has made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

⁹ Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance: for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing.

¹⁰ For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death.

¹¹ For behold this selfsame thing, that you sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it worked in you, yes, what clearing of yourselves, yes, what indignation, yes, what fear, yes, what vehement desire, yes, what zeal, yes, what revenge! In all things you have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

¹² Why, though I wrote to you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.

¹³ Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yes, and exceedingly the more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

¹⁴ For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

¹⁵ And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him.

¹⁶ I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.