2 Corinthians 8

Great Generosity

1Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been 1given in the churches of 2Macedonia, 2that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the 3wealth of their liberality. 3For I testify that 4according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4begging us with much urging for the 5favor 6of participation in the 78support of the 9saints, 5and this, not as we had 10expected, but they first 11gave themselves to the Lord and to us by 12the will of God. 6So we 13urged 14Titus that as he had previously 15made a beginning, so he would also complete in you 16this gracious work as well.

7But just as you 17abound 18in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the 19love we inspired in you, see that you 20abound in this gracious work also. 8I 21am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 9For you know 22the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 23though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 10I 24give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin 25a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. 11But now finish 26doing it also, so that just as there was the 27readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. 12For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable 28according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-- 14at this present time your abundance being a supply for 29their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for 30your need, that there may be equality; 15as it is written, “31He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

16But 32thanks be to God who 33puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of 34Titus. 17For he not only accepted our 35appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. 18We have sent along with him 36the brother whose fame in the things of the 37gospel has spread through 38all the churches; 1939and not only this, but he has also been 40appointed by the churches to travel with us in 41this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our 42readiness, 2043taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; 21for we 44have regard for what is honorable, not only in 45the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 23As for 46Titus, he is my 47partner and fellow worker 48among you; as for our 49brethren, they are 5051messengers of the churches, 52a glory to Christ. 24Therefore 53openly before the churches, 54show them the proof of your love and of our 55reason for boasting about you.