¹Therefore since we have  ²these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all  ³defilement of flesh and of spirit,  ⁴perfecting holiness in the  ⁵fear of God.

 ¹Make room for us; we have  ²wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are  ¹in our hearts for our dying together and our living together.

Great is my boldness toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with comfort, I overflow with  ¹joy in all our affliction.

For even when we came into Macedonia, our  ¹flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted in everything; without were fightings, within were fears.

But He who comforts those who are  ¹downcast, that is, God,  ²comforted us by the  ³coming of Titus;

And not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted because of you, declaring to us your longing, your lamentation, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced the more.

For though I caused you sorrow by the  ¹letter, I do not regret it. Even if I  ²did regret it (for I see that that letter, even if for an hour,  ³caused you sorrow),

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to  ¹repentance; for you were made  ²sorrowful according to God, that in nothing you might suffer loss from us.

For sorrow according to God works repentance unto  ¹salvation, which is without regret; but the sorrow of the world works out death.

For behold this very thing, your being made sorrowful according to God, what  ¹earnestness it has  ²worked out in you,  ³indeed what  ⁴defense, indeed what  ⁵indignation, indeed what  ⁶fear, indeed what  ⁷longing, indeed what  ⁸zeal, indeed what  ⁹punishment! In everything you have commended yourselves to be pure in  ¹⁰the matter.

So then, though I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of  ¹him who did the wrong, nor for the sake of  ²him who was wronged, but for the sake of  ³manifesting to you before God your earnestness for us.

Because of this we have been comforted. And in addition to our comfort, we rejoiced  ¹more abundantly over the joy of  ²Titus, because his  ³spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

For if in anything I boasted to him on your behalf, I have not been put to shame; on the contrary, as we spoke all things in truth to you, so also our boasting before Titus turned out to be the truth.

And his  ¹affections are abundantly toward you, he remembering the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling.

I rejoice that in everything I  ¹have boldness because of you.

Furthermore we make known to you, brothers, the  ¹grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

That in much  ¹proving of affliction the abundance of their joy and the depth of their poverty abounded unto the riches of their  ²liberality;

That according to their power, I testify, and beyond their power, of their own accord,

With much entreaty they besought of us the  ¹grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints;

And this, not as we had hoped, but they gave themselves  ¹first to the Lord,  ²and to us  ³through the will of God.

So we entreated Titus that, even as he began before, so also he would complete for you this  ¹grace  ²as well.

But just as you abound in everything, in faith and in  ¹word and in knowledge and in all  ²earnestness and in  ³the love in you  ⁴from us, abound in this  ⁵grace also.

I am not speaking by way of command but through the earnestness of others, proving also the genuineness of your love.

For you know the  ¹grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor in order that you, because of His poverty, might become rich.

And I give my  ¹opinion in this matter, for this is profitable for you who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this but even to intend to do this.

But now complete also the doing, so that as there was the eagerness in intending, so also there would be the completing out of what you have.

For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.

For it is not that to others there would be relief, yet to you affliction,

But it is out of equality; at the present time your abundance for their lack that their abundance also may be for your lack, so that there may be equality;

As it is written,  ¹“He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

But thanks be to God who puts the same  ¹earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus,

Because he not only received the  ¹entreaty, but being more earnest, he also went forth of his own accord to you.

And we sent together with him the brother whose praise in the gospel is throughout all the churches,

And not only this, but who has also been selected by the churches as our fellow traveler in this  ¹grace which is being ministered by us, to the glory of the Lord Himself and to demonstrate our eagerness;

 ¹Avoiding this, that anyone should find fault with us in this  ²abundance which is being ministered by us.

For we  ¹exercise foresight for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.

And we sent with them  ¹our brother, whom we have proved to be  ²diligent in many things many times, yet now much more  ²diligent because of the great confidence he has toward you.

Whether concerning Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you; or our brothers, they are  ¹apostles of the churches, they are Christ's glory.

Show therefore to them, in the face of the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

For concerning the ministry to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;

For I know your eagerness, of which I boast on your behalf to the Macedonians, that  ¹Achaia has been prepared since last year; and your zeal has stirred up the greater number of them.

But I sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf might not be made void in this respect, that, as I said, you might be prepared;

Lest, if the Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, be put to shame in this  ¹confidence.

Therefore I thought it necessary to entreat the brothers to go before to you and make ready beforehand your previously promised  ¹blessing, that thus this might be ready as a blessing and not  ²as a matter of covetousness.

But take note of this: He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with  ¹blessings shall also with  ²blessings reap;

Each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or out of  ¹necessity, for  ²God loves a  ³cheerful giver.

And God is able to make  ¹all grace abound unto you, that, in everything always having all sufficiency, you may abound unto every good work;

Even as it is written, “He has  ¹scattered abroad; he has given to the  ²poor; his  ³righteousness abides forever.”

Now  ¹He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and cause the fruits of your righteousness to increase.

You in everything are being enriched unto all  ¹liberality, which works out through us thanksgiving to God,

Because the ministry of this  ¹service is not only filling up the lack of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God.

They, through the  ¹approving of this ministry, are glorifying God based upon the subjection unto the gospel of Christ that issues from your confession, and upon the liberality of the  ²fellowship to them and to all;

While in petition on your behalf they also long after you on account of the  ¹surpassing  ²grace of God upon you.

Thanks be to God for His  ¹indescribable  ²gift!