¹⁸ I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same footsteps?^(A)

⁶ so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking^[a] among you.^(A)

¹² and likewise the ancestor of the circumcised who are not only circumcised but follow the example of the faith that our ancestor Abraham had before he was circumcised.

²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.^(A)

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I, too, may be consoled by news of you. ²⁰ I have no one so like myself who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.^{(A) 22} But Timothy’s^[a] worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.^(B)

Commendation of Titus

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who put in the heart of Titus the same eagerness for you that I myself have. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted our appeal, but since he is more eager than ever, he is going to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ With him we are sending the brother who is praised among all the churches for his work for the gospel,^{(A) 19} and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this generous undertaking^[a] for the glory of the Lord himself^[b] and to show our goodwill.^{(B) 20} We are making this arrangement lest anyone blame us about this generous gift that we are administering, ²¹ for we are setting our minds on what is right not only before the Lord but also before the people.^{(C) 22} And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found eager in many matters but who is now more eager than ever because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker in your service; as for our brothers, they are messengers^[c] of the churches, the glory of Christ.^(D)

⁶ But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus,^(A)

Paul’s Joy at the Church’s Repentance

² Make room in your hearts^[a] for us; we have wronged no one; we have corrupted no one; we have taken advantage of no one.^(A)

Paul’s Anxiety in Troas

¹² When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news^[a] of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord,^{(A) 13} but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.