⁴ And let all survivors in whatever place they reside be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods, and with livestock, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

³ Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God:

⁶ they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God,^{(A) 7} for they began their journey for the sake of Christ,^[a] accepting no support from nonbelievers.^{[b](B) 8} Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become coworkers with the truth.

² Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill^[a] the law of Christ.^(A)

¹⁷ Now after some years I came to bring alms to my people and to offer sacrifices.^(A)

The Value of a Friend

⁹ Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.

¹⁶ with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests, given willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem.^{(A) 17} With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs and their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.^{(B) 18} Whatever seems good to you and your colleagues to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God.

⁶⁸ As soon as they came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, some of the heads of families made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their resources they gave to the building fund sixty-one thousand darics of gold, five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly robes.^(A)

⁷⁰ The priests, the Levites, and some of the people, as well as the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants, lived in their towns and all Israel in their towns.

¹⁷ I know, my God, that you search the heart and take pleasure in uprightness; in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people who are present here offering freely and joyously to you.^(A)

⁹ Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with single mind they had offered freely to the Lord; King David also rejoiced greatly.^(A)