¹⁸ Then Melchizedek^(A) king of Salem^(B) brought out bread^(C) and wine.^(D) He was priest of God Most High,^{(E) 19} and he blessed Abram,^(F) saying,

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.^(J)

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow,^(A) saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me^(B) on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear^{(C) 21} so that I return safely^(D) to my father’s household,^(E) then the Lord^[a] will be my God^{(F) 22} and^[b] this stone that I have set up as a pillar^(G) will be God’s house,^(H) and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.^(I)”

³⁰ “‘A tithe^(A) of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy^(B) to the Lord.

⁸ “Will a mere mortal rob^(A) God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes^(B) and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse^(C)—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe^(D) into the storehouse,^(E) that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates^(F) of heaven and pour out^(G) so much blessing^(H) that there will not be room enough to store it.^(I)

²³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth^(A) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.^(B) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

The Collection for the Lord’s People

8 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian^(A) churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.^{(B) 3} For I testify that they gave as much as they were able,^(C) and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing^(D) in this service^(E) to the Lord’s people.^{(F) 5} And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged^(G) Titus,^(H) just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion^(I) this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything^(J)—in faith, in speech, in knowledge,^(K) in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you^[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

⁸ I am not commanding you,^(L) but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace^(M) of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(N) that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,^(O) so that you through his poverty might become rich.^(P)