2 Corinthians 8:16

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.

Legacy Standard Bible
But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.

Simplified Cowboy Version
I'm thankful God put y'all on Titus's heart just like y'all are on mine.

Bible in Basic English
But praise be to God, who puts the same care for you into the heart of Titus.

Darby Translation
But thanks [be] to God, who gives the same diligent zeal for you in the heart of Titus.

Christian Standard Bible®
Thanks be to God who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus.

World English Bible
But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But thanks be to God, who put the same diligent care for you in the heart of Titus.

Weymouth's New Testament
But thanks be to God that He inspires the heart of Titus with the same deep interest in you;

King James Version (1611)
But thankes bee to God which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

Literal Translation
But thanks be to God, who gives the same earnestness for you in the heart of Titus.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thakes be vnto God, which put in the hert of Titus, the same diligence towarde you.

Mace New Testament (1729)
But thanks be to God, who disposed Titus to be so industrious for you.

Amplified Bible
But thanks be to God who puts the same genuine concern for you in the heart of Titus.

American Standard Version
But thanks be to God, who putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Revised Standard Version
But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Thankes be vnto god which put in ye hert of Titus the same good mynde toward you.

Update Bible Version
But thanks be to God, who put the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

Webster's Bible Translation
But thanks [be] to God, who put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

Young's Literal Translation
And thanks to God, who is putting the same diligence for you in the heart of Titus,

New Century Version
I thank God because he gave Titus the same love for you that I have.

New English Translation
But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you,

Berean Standard Bible
But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.

Contemporary English Version
I am grateful that God made Titus care as much about you as we do.

Complete Jewish Bible
Now I thank God for making Titus as devoted to you as we are;

English Standard Version
But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And thanks be vnto God, which hath put in the heart of Titus the same care for you.

George Lamsa Translation
But thanks be to God, who put the same vigorous care into the heart of Titus for you.

Hebrew Names Version
But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

International Standard Version
But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have.

Etheridge Translation
But praise to Aloha who in-gave this solicitude for you to the heart of Titos.

Murdock Translation
But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus this solicitude for you.

New King James Version
But thanks be to God who puts [fn] the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

New Living Translation
But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have.

New Life Bible
I thank God that He gave Titus the same desire to help you.

English Revised Version
But thanks be to God, which putteth the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

New Revised Standard
But thanks be to God who put in the heart of Titus the same eagerness for you that I myself have.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thanks, however, unto God! - who is putting the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of Titus,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thanks be to God, who hath given the same carefulness for you in the heart of Titus.

King James Version
But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

Lexham English Bible
But thanks be to God, who has put in the heart of Titus the same devotion on your behalf,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thankes be vnto God, which put the same good mynde for you in the heart of Titus,

Easy-to-Read Version
I thank God because he gave Titus the same love for you that I have.

New American Standard Bible
But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of Titus.

Good News Translation
How we thank God for making Titus as eager as we are to help you!

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y do thankyngis to God, that yaf the same bisynesse for you in the herte of Tite,

Contextual Overview

²¹The Offering Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That's what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you're articulate, you're insightful, you're passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too. I'm not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians' enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least. I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go to you and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We're sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there's far more to him than popularity. He's rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God's gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal. We don't want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We're being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. That's why we're sending another trusted friend along. He's proved his dependability many times over, and carries on as energetically as the day he started. He's heard much about you, and liked what he's heard—so much so that he can't wait to get there. I don't need to say anything further about Titus. We've been close associates in this work of serving you for a long time. The brothers who travel with him are delegates from churches, a real credit to Christ. Show them what you're made of, the love I've been talking up in the churches. Let them see it for themselves! ²²The Offering Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could—far more than they could afford!—pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That's what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you're articulate, you're insightful, you're passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too. I'm not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians' enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written, Nothing left over to the one with the most, Nothing lacking to the one with the least. I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go to you and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We're sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there's far more to him than popularity. He's rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God's gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal. We don't want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We're being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. That's why we're sending another trusted friend along. He's proved his dependability many times over, and carries on as energetically as the day he started. He's heard much about you, and liked what he's heard—so much so that he can't wait to get there. ²³I don't need to say anything further about Titus. We've been close associates in this work of serving you for a long time. The brothers who travel with him are delegates from churches, a real credit to Christ. Show them what you're made of, the love I've been talking up in the churches. Let them see it for themselves!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thanks: Ezra 7:27, Nehemiah 2:12, Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 32:40, Colossians 3:17, Revelation 17:17

earnest: 2 Corinthians 7:7, 2 Corinthians 7:12, Philippians 2:20

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 25:32 - General 1 Chronicles 29:13 - we thank 2 Chronicles 31:8 - blessed Ezra 1:5 - whose spirit Nehemiah 2:8 - the king Nehemiah 4:6 - had a mind Nehemiah 7:5 - put into mine Nehemiah 11:2 - willingly Psalms 110:3 - Thy Proverbs 3:6 - In Proverbs 16:1 - preparations Song of Solomon 5:4 - put Haggai 1:14 - stirred Matthew 21:3 - straightway John 13:2 - put Acts 7:23 - it came 1 Corinthians 7:34 - careth 1 Corinthians 12:25 - the same 2 Corinthians 2:13 - Titus 2 Corinthians 2:14 - thanks 2 Corinthians 8:3 - beyond 2 Corinthians 8:6 - we 2 Corinthians 8:23 - Titus 2 Corinthians 9:11 - which 2 Corinthians 12:18 - walked we not in the same spirit Galatians 2:1 - Titus 2 Timothy 4:10 - Titus Titus 1:4 - Titus

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.

Genesis 7:13
That's the day Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, accompanied by his wife and his sons' wives, boarded the ship. And with them every kind of wild and domestic animal, right down to all the kinds of creatures that crawl and all kinds of birds and anything that flies. They came to Noah and to the ship in pairs—everything and anything that had the breath of life in it, male and female of every creature came just as God had commanded Noah. Then God shut the door behind him.

Genesis 8:18
Noah disembarked with his sons and wife and his sons' wives. Then all the animals, crawling creatures, birds—every creature on the face of the Earth—left the ship family by family.

Joshua 3:17
And there they stood; those priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant stood firmly planted on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground. Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan, and not one wet foot.

Joshua 4:10
The priests carrying the Chest continued standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything God had instructed Joshua to tell the people to do was done (confirming what Moses had instructed Joshua). The people crossed; no one dawdled. When the crossing of all the people was complete, they watched as the Chest of the Covenant and the priests crossed over.

Zechariah 9:11
"And you, because of my blood covenant with you, I'll release your prisoners from their hopeless cells. Come home, hope-filled prisoners! This very day I'm declaring a double bonus— everything you lost returned twice-over! Judah is now my weapon, the bow I'll pull, setting Ephraim as an arrow to the string. I'll wake up your sons, O Zion, to counter your sons, O Greece. From now on people are my swords."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But thanks be to God,.... The apostle proceeds to give an account of the persons and their characters, who were employed in making this collection at Corinth for the poor saints, and begins with Titus; and the rather because he had been already concerned in setting afoot that good work among them; and gives thanks to God,

which, says he,

put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you, by "earnest care" is meant that very great carefulness, solicitude, and diligence, Titus had shown in stirring them up to a liberal contribution; and which was the same that he had expressed in the arguments just now used by him, to engage them in the same service; and this care, as it was a very earnest and hearty one, so he suggests that it was more for them, than for the sake of the poor; the performance of acts of beneficence and liberality tending more to the advantage and account of the giver than of the receiver: and he further intimates, that these good motions in the heart of Titus were not merely natural, or the effects of human power and free will, but were of God, as every good thing is; they were wrought in him by the Spirit of God, and sprung from the grace of God, and therefore the apostle returns thanks to God for the same; and the mention of this could not fail of carrying weight with it, and of having some influence on the minds of the Corinthians.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But thanks be to God - Paul regarded every right feeling, and every pure desire; every inclination to serve God or to benefit a fellow mortal, as the gift of God. He, therefore, ascribes the praise to him that Titus was disposed to show an interest in the welfare of the Corinthians.

The same earnest care - The earnest care here referred to was that the Corinthians might complete the collection, and finish what they had proposed. Titus was willing to undertake this, and see that it was done.

For you - For your completing the collection. Paul represents it as being done for them, or for their welfare. The poor saints in Judea indeed were to have the immediate benefit of the contribution, but it was a privilege for them to give, and Paul rejoiced that they had that privilege. A man who presents to Christians a feasible object of benevolence, and who furnishes them an opportunity of doing good to others, is doing good to them, and they should esteem it an act of kindness done to them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. But thanks be to God — He thanks God who had already disposed the heart of Titus to attend to this business; and, with his usual address, considers all this as done in the behalf of the Corinthian Church; and that though the poor Christians in Judea are to have the immediate benefit, yet God put honour upon them in making them his instruments in supplying the wants of others. He who is an almoner to God Almighty is highly honoured indeed.