2 Corinthians 8

Chapter 8

A Call to Generous Giving

1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,t what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.

2 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.
3 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.4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.t

5 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.
6 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.

7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from ust—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

8 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.

9 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.
10 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.11 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.12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.13 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.14 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.

15 As the Scriptures say,
“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”t

Titus and His Companions

16 But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have.17 Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you.18 We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News.

19 He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalemt—a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.
20 We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift.

21 We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.
22 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.23 If 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,t and they bring honor to Christ.

24 So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.

2 CORINTHIANS 8

Generous Giving

1  t My friends, we want you to know that the churches in Macedoniat have shown others God's gift of undeserved grace. 2 Although they were going through hard times and were very poor, they were glad to give generously. 3 They gave as much as they could afford and even more, simply because they wanted to. 4 They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy of giving their money for God's people.

5 And they did more than we had hoped. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, just as God wanted them to do.
6 Titus was the one who got you started doing this good thing, so we begged him to help you finish what you had begun.

7 You do everything better than anyone else. You have stronger faith. You speak better and know more. You are eager to give, and you love us better.t Now you must give more generously than anyone else.
8 I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown.

9 You know our Lord Jesus Christ treated us with undeserved grace by giving up all his riches, so you could become rich.
10 A year ago you were the first ones to give, and you gave because you wanted to. So listen to my advice. 11 I think you should finish what you started. If you give according to what you have, you will prove you are as eager to give as you were to think about giving.

12 It doesn't matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have.
13 I am not trying to make life easier for others by making life harder for you. But it is only fair 14 for you to share with them when you have so much, and they have so little. Later, when they have more than enough, and you are in need, they can share with you. Then everyone will have a fair share,

15 t just as the Scriptures say,
“Those who gathered
too much
had nothing left.
Those who gathered
only a little
had all they needed.”

Titus and His Friends

21 t But we want to do what pleases the Lord and what people think is right.
22 We are also sending someone else with Titus and the other follower. We approve of this man. In fact, he has already shown us many times that he wants to help. And now he wants to help even more than ever, because he trusts you so much. 23 Titus is my partner, who works with me to serve you. The other two followers are sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ. 24 Treat them in such a way that the churches will see your love and will know why we bragged about you.