2 Corinthians 8:1–15

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.”