Commendation of Titus

16 But (A)thanks be to God, (B)who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For (C)he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going[a] to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending[b] (D)the brother who is famous among (E)all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been (F)appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of (G)grace that is being ministered by us, (H)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 (I)we aim at what is honorable (J)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 (K)my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers[c] of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of (L)our boasting about you to these men.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 8:17 Or he went
  2. 2 Corinthians 8:18 Or we sent; also verse 22
  3. 2 Corinthians 8:23 Greek apostles

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection

16 Thanks be to God,(A) who put into the heart(B) of Titus(C) the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.(D) 18 And we are sending along with him the brother(E) who is praised by all the churches(F) for his service to the gospel.(G) 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us(H) as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.(I) 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.(J)

22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus,(K) he is my partner(L) and co-worker(M) among you; as for our brothers,(N) they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you,(O) so that the churches can see it.

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