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2 Corinthians 8:1–12:21

Moreover, brethren, awe do you to wit of aathe grace of God bestowed on the churches of bMacedonia; How that in a great ctrial of affliction dthe abundance of their joy and dtheir deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For eto their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were fwilling of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty gthat we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of hthe ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us iby the will of God. Insomuch that jwe desired kTitus, that as he had xbegun, so he would also finish in you the same ||grace also. Therefore, as lye abound in every thing, in faith, and mutterance, and mknowledge, and in all ndiligence, and in oyour love to us, see pthat ye abound in this grace also. qI speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the nforwardness of others, and qqto prove the sincerity of oyour love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, rthough he was rich, yet rsfor your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty tmight be rich. 10 And herein uI give my advice: for wthis is expedient for you, who have xbegun before, not only to do, but also to be forward ya year ago. 11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a zreadiness to will, so there may be a performance also eout of athat which ye have. 12 For bif there be first za willing mind, it is caccepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. 13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14 But by an dequality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply efor their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be dequality: 15 As it is written, fHe that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

16 But thanks be to God, gwhich put the same hearnest care into the heart of Titus for you. 17 For indeed he accepted ithe exhortation; but being hmore forward, jof his own accord he went unto you. 18 And we have sent with him kthe brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout kkall the churches; 19 And not that only, but who was also lchosen of the churches mto travel with us with this ||grace, which is nadministered by us oto the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your zready mind: 20 pAvoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is nadministered by us: 21 qProviding for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. 22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved hdiligent in many things, but now much hmore diligent, rupon the great confidence which ||I have in you. 23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my spartner and tfellowhelper concerning you: or uour brethren be inquired of, they are wthe messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. 24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and xbefore the churches, the proof of yyour love, and of zour boasting on your behalf.

9 For as touching athe ministering to bthe saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: For I know cthe forwardness of your mind, dfor which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that eAchaia was ready fa year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent gthe brethren, lest hour boasting of you should be in vain iin this behalf; that, jas I said, ye may be ready: Lest haply if kthey of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in lthis same mconfident boasting. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort gthe brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, ||whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, nas a matter of ||bounty, and onot as of covetousness. But this I say, pHe which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; qnot rgrudgingly, or of necessity: for sGod loveth a cheerful giver. And ptGod is able to make all ugrace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every xgood work: (As it is written, yHe hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10 Now he that zministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase athe fruits of your brighteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all ||bountifulness, which causeth cthrough us thanksgiving to God. 12 For adthe administration of this service not only supplieth ethe want of the saints, but is abundant also cfby many thanksgivings unto God; 13 Whiles by the gexperiment of this dministration they hglorify God for your professed isubjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your jliberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; 14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding lgrace of God in you. 15 Thanks be unto lGod for his unspeakable gift.

10 Now I Paul myself abeseech you by the aameekness and bgentleness of Christ, cwho ||din presence am ddbase among you, but being absent am bold toward you: But I beseech you, ethat I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I ||think to be bold against fsome, which ||think of us as if we walked gaccording to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war gafter the flesh: (For hthe iweapons of our kwarfare are not carnal, but lmighty ||through God mto the npulling down of ostrong holds;) pCasting down ||imaginations, and qevery high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every rthought to sthe obedience of Christ; And ehaving in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, twhen your obedience is fulfilled.

uDo ye look on things after the outward appearance? vIf any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as whe is Christ’s, even so are xwe Christ’s. For though I should yboast somewhat more of zour authority, which the Lord hath given us for zzedification, and not for your ndestruction, aI should not be ashamed: That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. 10 For his letters, say they, are bweighty and powerful; but chis bodily presence is weak, and dhis speech contemptible. 11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or ecompare ourselves with some that fcommend themselves: but gthey measuring themselves by themselves, and ecomparing themselves among themselves, ||are not wise. 13 But we will not hboast of things without our measure, but according to ithe measure of the ||rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. 14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for kwe are lcome as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: 15 Not hboasting of things without our measure, that is, mof other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be ||enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, 16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast min another man’s ||line of things made ready to our hand. 17 But nhe that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 18 For gnot he that fcommendeth himself is oapproved, but pwhom the Lord commendeth.

11 Would to God ye could abear with me a little in bmy folly: and indeed ||abear with me. For I am cjealous over you with godly jealousy: for dI have espoused you to one husband, efthat I may present you fas a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as gthe serpent hbeguiled Eve through his isubtilty, so your jminds kshould be corrupted from the lsimplicity that is in Christ. For if mhe that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or nanother gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well abear ||with him. For I osuppose I was pnot a whit behind the very qchiefest apostles. But rthough I be srude in speech, tyet not in knowledge; but ttwe have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed uan offence in vabasing myself that ye might be exalted, because wI have preached to you the gospel of God xfreely? I robbed other churches, taking ywages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, xzI was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me athe brethren which came from bMacedonia supplied: and in all things cI have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 10 dAs the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this fboasting in the gregions of hAchaia. 11 Wherefore? ibecause I love you not? kGod knoweth. 12 But what I do, that I will do, lthat I may cut off moccasion from them which desire moccasion; that wherein they glory, nthey may be found even as we. 13 For osuch are pfalse apostles, qdeceitful workers, rtransforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for sSatan himself is rtransformed into tan angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if uhis ministers also be rtransformed as vthe ministers of righteousness; wwhose end shall be according to their works.

16 I xsay again, yLet no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool ||zreceive me, that I may boast myself a little. 17 That which I speak, aI speak it not after the Lord, but as it were nfoolishly, bin this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many glory cafter the flesh, dI will glory also. 19 For eye suffer fools gladly, fseeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For eye suffer, if a man gbring you into bondage,

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