2 Corinthians 8–9

Chapter 8

Great Generosity

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

²that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the ^awealth of their liberality.

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 ^afavor ¹of participation in the ^2bsupport of the ³saints,

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 ^aurged ^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 utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the ¹love we inspired in you, see that you abound 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 He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

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

¹¹But now finish ¹doing it also, so that just as there was the ^areadiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.

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

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

¹⁸We have sent along with him ^athe brother whose fame in the things of the ^bgospel has spread through ^call the churches;

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

²⁰¹taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift;

²¹for we ^ahave regard for what is honorable, not only in ^bthe 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 ^aTitus, he is my ^bpartner and fellow worker ¹among you; as for our ^cbrethren, 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.

Chapter 9

God Gives Most

¹For ^ait is superfluous for me to write to you about this ^bministry to the ¹saints;

²for I know your readiness, of which I ^aboast about you to the ^bMacedonians, namely, that ^cAchaia has been prepared since ^dlast year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

³But I have sent the brethren, in order that our ^aboasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, ^bas I was saying, you may be prepared;

⁴otherwise if any ^aMacedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence.

⁵So I thought it necessary to urge the ^abrethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised ^1bbountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a ^cbountiful gift and not ^2daffected by covetousness.

⁶Now this I say, ^ahe who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows ¹bountifully will also reap bountifully.

⁷Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not ^agrudgingly or under compulsion, for ^bGod loves a cheerful giver.

⁸And ^aGod is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

⁹as it is written,

“^aHe scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,

His righteousness ¹endures forever.”

¹⁰Now He who supplies ^aseed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and ^bincrease the harvest of your righteousness;

¹¹you will be ^aenriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing ^bthanksgiving to God.

¹²For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying ^athe needs of the ¹saints, but is also overflowing ^bthrough many thanksgivings to God.

¹³Because of the proof given by this ^aministry, they will ^bglorify God for your obedience to your ^cconfession of the ^dgospel of Christ and for the liberality of your ¹contribution to them and to all,

¹⁴while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

^15aThanks be to God for His indescribable ^bgift!