8And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace God gave the churches in Macedonia. ²They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. ³I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. No one told them to do it. ⁴But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God’s people. ⁵And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants. ⁶So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of grace since he is the one who started it. ⁷You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us. ⁿ In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving.

⁸I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true by comparing you with others that really want to help. ⁹You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich.

¹⁰This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give, and you were the first who gave. ¹¹So now finish the work you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have. ¹²If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. It will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. ¹³We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease, but we want everything to be equal. ¹⁴At this time you have plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal.

Read in Logos

2 Corinthians 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Footnotes

nin … us Some Greek copies read “in your love for us.”