2 Corinthians 8:7-9

English Standard Version

⁷ But as ^(A)you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you^[a]—^(B)see that you excel in this act of grace also.

^8 (C)I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ^(D)though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. ¹⁰ And in this matter ^(E)I give my judgment: ^(F)this benefits you, who ^(G)a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. ¹¹ So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. ¹² For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable ^(H)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. ¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness ¹⁴ your abundance at the present time should supply ^(I)their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. ¹⁵ As it is written, ^(J)“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

Commendation of Titus

¹⁶ But ^(K)thanks be to God, ^(L)who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. ¹⁷ For ^(M)he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going^[b] to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ With him we are sending^{[c] (N)}the brother who is famous among ^(O)all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. ¹⁹ And not only that, but he has been ^(P)appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of ^(Q)grace that is being ministered by us, ^(R)for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. ²⁰ We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, ²¹ for ^(S)we aim at what is honorable ^(T)not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man. ²² And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is ^(U)my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers^[d] of the churches, the glory of Christ. ²⁴ So give proof before the churches of your love and of ^(V)our boasting about you to these men.

The Collection for Christians in Jerusalem

9 Now ^(W)it is superfluous for me to write to you about ^(X)the ministry for the saints, ² for I know your readiness, ^(Y)of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready ^(Z)since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But ^(AA)I am sending^[e] the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, ^(AB)as I said you would be. ⁴ Otherwise, if some Macedonians ^(AC)come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the ^(AD)gift^[f] you have promised, so that it may be ready ^(AE)as a willing gift, ^(AF)not as an exaction.^[g]

The Cheerful Giver

⁶ The point is this: ^(AG)whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully^[h] will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, ^(AH)not reluctantly or under compulsion, for ^(AI)God loves a cheerful giver.