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¹ But, britheren, we maken knowun to you the grace of God, that is youun in the chirchis of Macedonye,² that in myche asaiyng of tribulacioun, the plente of the ioye of hem was, and the hiyeste pouert of hem was plenteuouse `in to the richessis of the symplenesse of hem.³ For Y bere witnessyng to hem, aftir miyt and aboue miyt thei weren wilful,⁴ with myche monestyng bisechynge vs the grace and the comynyng of mynystring, that is maad to hooli men.⁵ And not as we hopiden, but thei yauen hem silf first to the Lord, aftirward to vs bi the wille of God.⁶ So that we preyeden Tite, that as he bigan, so also he performe in you this grace.

⁷ But as ye abounden in alle thingis, in feith, and word, and kunnyng, and al bisynesse, more ouer and in youre charite in to vs, that and in this grace ye abounden.⁸ Y seie not as comaundinge, but bi the bisynesse of othere men appreuynge also the good wit of youre charite.⁹ And ye witen the grace of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, for he was maad nedi for you, whanne he was riche, that ye schulden be maad riche bi his nedynesse.¹⁰ And Y yyue counsel in this thing; for this is profitable to you, that not oneli han bigunne to do, but also ye bigunnen to haue wille fro the formere yere.¹¹ But now parfourme ye in deed, that as the discrecioun of wille is redi, so be it also of parformyng of that that ye han.¹² For if the wille be redi, it is acceptid aftir that that it hath, not aftir that that it hath not.¹³ And not that it be remyssioun to othere men, and to you tribulacioun;¹⁴ but of euenesse in the present tyme youre aboundance fulfille the myseese of hem, that also the aboundaunce of hem be a fulfillynge of youre myseise, that euenesse be maad; as it is writun,¹⁵ He that gaderide myche, was not encresid, and he that gaderide litil, hadde not lesse.

¹⁶ And Y do thankyngis to God, that yaf the same bisynesse for you in the herte of Tite,¹⁷ for he resseyuede exortacioun; but whanne he was bisier, bi his wille he wente forth to you.¹⁸ And we senten with hym a brother, whose preisyng is in the gospel bi alle chirchis.¹⁹ And not oneli, but also he is ordeyned of chirchis the felowe of oure pilgrimage in to this grace, that is mynystrid of vs to the glorie of the Lord, and to oure ordeyned wille;²⁰ eschewynge this thing, that no man blame vs in this plente, that is mynystrid of vs to the glorye of the Lord.²¹ For we purueyen good thingis, not onely bifor God, but also bifor alle men.²² For we senten with hem also oure brothir, whom we han preued in many thingis ofte, that he was bisi, but nowe myche bisier, for myche trist in you,²³ ethir for Tite, that is my felowe and helpere in you, ethir for oure britheren, apostlis of the chirches of the glorie of Crist.²⁴ Therfor schewe ye in to hem in the face of chirchis, that schewynge that is of youre charite and of oure glorie for you.