| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace of God given 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. |
| 2that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in 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. |
| 3For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily, | 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. |
| 4begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping the saints. | 4They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. |
| 5And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God. | 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. |
| 6Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for 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. |
| 7But as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you--make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too. | 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, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others. | 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, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could 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. |
| 10So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, | 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. |
| 11to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly, you can also complete it according to your means. | 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 present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever 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. |
| 13For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter 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 abundance will meet their need, so that one day their abundance may also meet your need, and thus 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 is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one 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 |
| 16But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you, | 16But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have. |
| 17because he not only accepted our request, but since he was very eager, he is coming to you of his own accord. | 17Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you. |
| 18And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel. | 18We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News. |
| 19In addition, this brother has also been chosen by the churches as our traveling companion as we administer this generous gift to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness 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 did this as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this generous gift we are administering. | 20We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. |
| 21For we are concerned about 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. |
| 22And we are sending with them our brother whom we have tested many times and found eager in many matters, but who now is much more eager than ever because of the great confidence he has 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. |
| 23If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; if there is any question about our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to 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 openly before the churches the proof of your love and of our pride in you. | 24So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified. |
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