| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia: | 1Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. |
| 2During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. | 2They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. |
| 3I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, | 3For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. |
| 4they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, | 4They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. |
| 5and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God's will. | 5They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. |
| 6So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you. | 6So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. |
| 7Now as you excel in everything--faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us--excel also in this grace. | 7Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us —I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. |
| 8I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. | 8I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. |
| 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich. | 9You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. |
| 10Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it. | 10Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. |
| 11But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have. | 11Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. |
| 12For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. | 12Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. |
| 13It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality-- | 13Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. |
| 14at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality. | 14Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. |
| 15As it has been written: The person who gathered much did not have too much, and the person who gathered little did not have too little. | 15As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.” Titus and His Companions |
| 16Thanks be to God who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. | 16But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have. |
| 17For he accepted our urging and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice. | 17Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you. |
| 18We have sent with him the brother who is praised throughout the churches for his gospel ministry. | 18We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News. |
| 19And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gift that is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. | 19He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem —a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help. |
| 20We are taking this precaution so no one can criticize us about this large sum administered by us. | 20We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. |
| 21For we are making provision for what is right, not only before the Lord but also before men. | 21We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. |
| 22We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent--and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. | 22We are also sending with them another of our brothers who has proven himself many times and has shown on many occasions how eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his great confidence in you. |
| 23As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker serving you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. | 23If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ. |
| 24Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you. | 24So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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