2 Corinthians 8

¹Now we make known to you, brothers, the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,

²that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the riches of their generosity,

³For according to their ability, I testify, and beyond their ability of their own accord,

⁴with much entreaty begging us that we would receive the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints,

⁵And not as we had expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God,

⁶So we urged Titus that, as he had made a beginning before, so he would also complete among you this gracious work as well.

⁷But just as you abound in everything — in faith and speech and knowledge and all earnestness and in the love from us that is in you — see that you also abound in this gracious work.

⁸I say this not as a command, but through the earnestness of others proving also the genuineness of your love;

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

¹⁰And in this I give a judgment; for this is profitable for you, who began a year ago not only to do but also to will.

¹¹But now complete the doing also, so that just as there was the readiness to will, so also there may be the completing out of what you have.

¹²For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For it is not that there may be relief for others, but affliction for you,

¹⁴at the present time your abundance for their need, so that their abundance also may be for your need, that there may be equality;

¹⁵as it is written: He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no lack.

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who put the same earnestness for you into the heart of Titus,

¹⁷For he indeed accepted our appeal, but being very earnest, of his own accord he went out to you.

¹⁸And we have sent with him the brother whose praise in the gospel is throughout all the churches,

¹⁹and not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches as our fellow traveler in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness,

²⁰guarding against this, that no one should blame us in this abundance which is being administered by us;

²¹For we take thought for what is honorable, not only before the Lord but also before men.

²²And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often proved to be earnest in many things, but now much more earnest because of his great confidence in you.

²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

²⁴Therefore show to them the proof of your love and of our boasting about you, and before the face of the churches.