1Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2Open your hearts to us: we wronged no man, we corrupted no man, we took advantage of no man. 3I do not say it to condemn you: for I have said before, that you are in our hearts to die together and live together. 4Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction. 5For even when we had come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; outside were fightings, within were fears. 6Nevertheless he who comforts the lowly, even God, comforted us by the coming of Titus; 7and not by his coming only, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. 8For though I made you sorrowful with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it (for I see that that epistle made you sorrowful, though only for a while), 9I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance; for you were made sorrowful in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. 10For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, a repentance which brings no regret: but the sorrow of the world works death. 11For behold, this very thing, that you were made sorrowful in a godly manner, what earnest care it produced in you, indeed what clearing of yourselves, indeed what indignation, indeed what fear, indeed what longing, indeed what zeal, indeed what avenging! In everything you proved yourselves to be pure in the matter. 12So although I wrote to you, I did not write for the sake of him who did the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be made manifest to you in the sight of God. 13Therefore we have been comforted: and in our comfort we rejoiced even more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14For if in anything I have gloried to him on your behalf, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth. 15And his affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him. 16I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you.