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¹ And, my brethren, we make known to you the grace of God which was conferred on the churches of the Macedonians;² that in the great trial of their affliction, there was an abounding to their joy, and the depth of their poverty was exuberant in the riches of their liberality.³ For I testify that, according to their ability, and beyond their ability, in the spontaneity of their mind,⁴ they besought us, with much entreaty, that they might participate in the beneficence of the ministration to the saints.⁵ 5 And not [fn] as we had expected, but they first gave themselves unto the Lord, and to us by the will of God. ⁶ So that we requested Titus, that as he had begun, so he would perfect in you also the same beneficence.

⁷ And as ye are enriched in every thing, in faith, and speech, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in our love towards you, so abound ye in this beneficence also.⁸ 8 I do not actually command you, but by the promptitude of your fellow [fn] , I would test the sincerity of your love. ⁹ For ye know the goodness of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who when he was rich, for your sakes became poor, that by his poverty ye might be made rich.¹⁰ And I urgently recommend to you, that which is for your advantage; inasmuch as ye began, a year ago, not only to purpose, but also to perform.¹¹ 11 And now complete ye by action, what ye purposed; that as ye had a promptitude in your purposing, so ye may fulfill [fn] in action, according to your ability. ¹² For if there is a willingness, a person is accepted according to what he hath, and not according to what he hath not.¹³ For it is not, that others may have easement, and you pressure;¹⁴ 14 but that ye may be on equality at the present time; and that your abundance may be [fn] to their want; that their abundance likewise may be [fn] to your want; that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, He who gathered much, had nothing over; and he that gathered little, was not deficient.

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus this solicitude for you.¹⁷ For he received our exhortation; and, because he was very anxious, he cheerfully set out to visit you.¹⁸ And we also sent with him that our brother, whose praise in the gospel is in all the churches;¹⁹ inasmuch as he likewise had been expressly chosen by the churches, to accompany me with this beneficence which is ministered by us to the glory of God and to our cordiality.²⁰ 20 we hereby guarded, that no one should cast censure on us, in [fn] this abundance which is ministered by us. ²¹ For we are attentive to things commendable, not only before God, but also before men.²² 22 And we also sent with them that brother of ours, who hath often, and in many things, been proved diligent by us; and is now particularly diligent, from the great confidence [fn] in you. ²³ 23 And therefore, if Titus [fn] , he is my associate and assistant among you: or if our other brethren, they are the legates of the churches of the Messiah's glory. ²⁴ Therefore exhibit ye to them, in the presence of all the churches, a demonstration of your love and of our glorying respecting you.