2 Corinthians 8

CHAPTER 8

Generosity and Grace

¹Now brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been ^agiven in the churches of ^bMacedonia,

²that in a great testing by affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the ^arichness of their ¹generosity.

³For I testify that ^aaccording to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,

⁴begging us with much urging for the ^agrace ¹of sharing in the ^bministry to the saints,

⁵and this, not as we had ¹expected, but they first ^agave themselves to the Lord and to us by ^bthe will of God.

⁶So we ^aencouraged ^bTitus that as he had previously ^cmade a beginning, so he would also complete in you ^dthis gracious work as well.

⁷But just as you ^aabound ^bin everything, in faith and word and knowledge and in all earnestness and in ¹the love we inspired in you, see that you ^cabound in this gracious work also.

⁸I ^aam not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

⁹For you know ^athe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ^bthough being rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁰And I ^agive my opinion in this matter, for this is profitable for you, who were the first to begin ^ba year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.

¹¹But now complete ¹doing it also, so that just as there was the ^areadiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it from what you have.

¹²For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable ^aaccording to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For this is not for the relief of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—

¹⁴at this present time your abundance being a supply for ^atheir need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for ^byour need, that there may be equality.

¹⁵As it is written, “^aHe who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

¹⁶But ^1athanks be to God who ^bputs the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of ^cTitus.

¹⁷For he not only accepted our ^aplea, but being himself very earnest, he has gone out to you of his own accord.

¹⁸And we have sent along with him ^athe brother whose praise in the things of the ^bgospel is throughout ^call the churches.

^19aAnd not only this, but he has also been ^bappointed by the churches to travel with us in ^cthis gracious work that is being ministered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our ^dreadiness,

²⁰¹taking precaution lest anyone discredits us in our ministering of this generous gift,

²¹for we ^arespect what is good, not only in ^bthe sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²²And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many things, but now even more earnest because of his great confidence in you.

²³As for ^aTitus, he is my ^bpartner and fellow worker ¹among you; as for our ^cbrothers, they are ^2dmessengers of the churches, ^ea glory to Christ.

²⁴Therefore ¹openly before the churches, ²show them the proof of your love and of our ^areason for boasting about you.