| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia. | 1Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, |
| 2In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity. | 2that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. |
| 3For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord, | 3For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, |
| 4they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. | 4begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, |
| 5And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, because it was the will of God. | 5and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. |
| 6So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it. | 6So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. |
| 7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. | 7But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. |
| 8I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others. | 8I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. |
| 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. | 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. |
| 10And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire. | 10I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. |
| 11Now finish the work, so that you may complete it just as eagerly as you began, according to your means. | 11But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. |
| 12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. | 12For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. |
| 13It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. | 13For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-- |
| 14At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. Then there will be equality. | 14at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply 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 shortfall.” | 15as it is written, "HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK." |
| 16But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you. | 16But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. |
| 17For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition. | 17For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. |
| 18Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel. | 18We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; |
| 19More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the offering—the gracious gift we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. | 19and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness, |
| 20We hope to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift. | 20taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; |
| 21For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. | 21for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. |
| 22And we are sending along with them our brother whose earnestness has been proven many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you. | 22We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. |
| 23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, to the glory of Christ. | 23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brethren, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ. |
| 24In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you. | 24Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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