Welcome to our website where we explore the Bible! Pleasure to meet you here!
May your journey into the world of the Holy Scriptures be engaging and inspiring!
You can change reading language: uk ru
Parallel
New King James Version
New Living Translation
Excel in Giving
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia:
that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.
They 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.
For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing,
For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
They 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.
So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well.
So 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.
But as you abound in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us — see that you abound in this grace also.
Christ Our Pattern
I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
I 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.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
You 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.
And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;
Here 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.
but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.
Now 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.
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened;
Of 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.
but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack — that there may be equality.
Right 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.
As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
Titus and His Companions
But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have.
For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.
Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you.
And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,
We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News.
and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,
avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us —
We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift.
providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.
And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.
We 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.