Loading…
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given to the churches in Macedonia. 2They have suffered a great deal. But their joy was more than full. Even though they were very poor, they gave very freely.
3I give witness that they gave as much as they could. In fact, they gave even more than they could. Completely on their own, 4they begged us for the chance to share in serving God’s people in that way. 5They did more than we expected. First they gave themselves to the Lord. Then they gave themselves to us in keeping with what God wanted.
6Titus had already started collecting money from you. So we asked him to get you to finish making your kind gift.
7You do well in everything else. You do well in faith and in speaking. You do well in knowledge and in complete commitment. And you do well in your love for us. So make sure that you also do well in the grace of giving to others.
8I am not commanding you to do it. But I want to put you to the test. I want to find out if you really love God. I want to compare your love with that of others.
9You know the grace shown by our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, he became poor to help you. Because he became poor, you can become rich.
10Here is my advice about what is best for you in that matter. Last year you were the first to give. You were also the first to want to give. 11So finish the work. Then your longing to do it will be matched by your finishing it. Give on the basis of what you have.
12Do you really want to give? Then the gift is received in keeping with what you have, not with what you don’t have.
13We don’t want others to have it easy at your expense. We want things to be equal. 14Right now you have plenty in order to take care of what they need. Then they will have plenty to take care of what you need. That will make things equal. 15It is written, “Those who gathered a lot didn’t have too much. And those who gathered a little had enough.” (Exodus 16:18)
16God put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. I am thankful to God for this. 17Titus welcomed our appeal. He is also excited about coming to you. It was his own idea.
18Along with Titus, we are sending another brother. All the churches praise him for his service in telling the good news. 19He was also chosen by the churches to go with us as we bring the offering. We are in charge of it. We want to honor the Lord himself. We want to show how ready we are to help.
20We want to keep anyone from blaming us for how we take care of that large gift. 21We are trying hard to do what is right in the Lord’s eyes and in the eyes of people.
22We are also sending another one of our brothers with them. He has often proved to us in many ways that he is very committed. He is now even more committed because he has great faith in you.
23Titus is my helper. He and I work together among you. Our brothers are messengers from the churches. They honor Christ. 24So show them that you really love them. Show them why we are proud of you. Then the churches can see it.
|
About New International Reader’s Version (1998)The New International Reader’s Version (NIrV) was developed to help early readers understand the Bible. Begun in 1992, the NIrV is a simplification of the New International Version (NIV). The NIrV uses shorter words and sentences so that those with a typical fourth grade reading level can comprehend what they are reading. The chapters have been separated into shorter sections and most have titles that clearly indicate what the section is all about. The NIrV will be a valuable translation to those for whom English is a second language. The NIrV still relies on the best and oldest copies of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts for its translation, guaranteeing that those who read it are getting the actual Word of God. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved. The NIrV text may be quoted for non-commercial usage in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without the express written permission of the publisher, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER’S VERSION™. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. When quotations from the NIrV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (NIrV) must appear at the end of each quotation. Any commentary or other Biblical reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the New International Reader’s Version must obtain written permission for use of the NIrV text. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.S. and Canada that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49530. Permission requests for commercial use within the U.K., EEC, and EFTA countries that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, Hodder Headline Plc., 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH, England. Permission requests for non-commercial usage that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to, and approved in writing by, International Bible Society, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921. |
| Support Info | nirv |