DB1 | Liberal Giving 2Cor.8.1-15 | NEB Contents | notes| 8 | New English Bible (New Testament) | Passage | New Testament in Greek (UBS.Ed.26) |
| 8 1 | WE MUST TELL YOU, friends, about the grace of generosity which God has imparted to Or: how gracious God has been to ... our congregations in Macedonia. | Liberal Giving 2Cor.8.1-15 | Γνωρίζομεν δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δεδομένην ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Μακεδονίας, |
| 2 | The troubles they have been through have tried them hard, yet in all this they have been so exuberantly happy that from the depths of their poverty they have shown themselves lavishly open-handed. | ὁτι ἐν πολλῇ δοκιμῇ θλίψεως ἡ περισσεία τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ κατὰ βάθους πτωχεία αὐτῶν ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς ἀπλότητος αὐτῶν· | |
| 3 | Going to the limit of their resources, as I can testify, and even beyond that limit, | ὁτι κατὰ δύναμιν, μαρτυρῶ, καὶ παρὰ δύναμιν, αὐθαίρετοι | |
| 4 | they begged us most insistently, and on their own initiative, to be allowed to share in this generous service to their fellow-Christians. | μετὰ πολλῆς παρακλήσεως δεόμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἀγίους - | |
| 5 | And their giving surpassed our expectations; for they gave their very selves, offering them in the first instance to the Lord, but also, under God, to us. | καὶ οὐ καθὼς ἠλπίσαμεν ἀλλὰ ἑαυτοὺς ἐδωκαν πρῶτον τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ, | |
| 6 | The upshot is that we have asked Titus, who began it all, to visit you and bring this work of generosity also to completion. | εἰς τὸ παρακαλέσαι ἡμᾶς Τίτον ἵνα καθὼς προενήρξατο οὑτως καὶ ἐπιτελέσῃ εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν χάριν ταύτην. | |
| 7 | You are so rich in everything?in faith, speech, knowledge, and zeal of every kind, as well as in the loving regard you have for us Some witnesses read: the love we have for you; Or: the love which we have kindled in your hearts. ?surely you should show yourselves equally lavish in this generous service! | ἀλλ' ὡσπερ ἐν παντὶ περισσεύετε, πίστει καὶ λόγῳ καὶ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ τῇ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀγάπῃ, ἵνα καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ χάριτι περισσεύητε. | |
| 8 | This is not meant as an order; by telling you how keen others are I am putting your love to the test. | Οὐ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν λέγω, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρων σπουδῆς καὶ τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης γνήσιον δοκιμάζων· | |
| 9 | For you know how generous our Lord Jesus Christ has been: he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that through his poverty you might become rich. | γινώσκετε γὰρ τὴν χάριν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι δῖ ὑμᾶς ἐπτώχευσεν πλούσιος ὠν, ἵνα ὑμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσητε. | |
| 10 | Here is my considered opinion on the matter. What I ask you to do is in your own interests. You made a good beginning last year both in the work you did and in your willingness to undertake it. | καὶ γνώμην ἐν τούτῳ δίδωμι· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν συμφέρει, οἱτινες οὐ μόνον τὸ ποιῆσαι ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ θέλειν προενήρξασθε ἀπὸ πέρυσι· | |
| 11 | Now I want you to go on and finish it: be as eager to complete the scheme as you were to adopt it, and give according to your means. | νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι ἐπιτελέσατε, ὁπως καθάπερ ἡ προθυμία τοῦ θέλειν οὑτως καὶ τὸ ἐπιτελέσαι ἐκ τοῦ ἐχειν. | |
| 12 | Provided there is an eager desire to give, God accepts what a man has; he does not ask for what he has not. | εἰ γὰρ ἡ προθυμία πρόκειται, καθὸ ἐὰν ἐχῃ εὐπρόσδεκτος, οὐ καθὸ οὐκ ἐχει. | |
| 13 | There is no question of relieving others at the cost of hardship to yourselves; | οὐ γὰρ ἵνα ἀλλοις ἀνεσις, ὑμῖν θλῖψις· ἀλλ' ἐξ ἰσότητος | |
| 14 | it is a question of equality. At the moment your surplus meets their need, but one day your need may be met from their surplus. | ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα, ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων περίσσευμα γένηται εἰς τὸ ὑμῶν ὑστέρημα, ὁπως γένηται ἰσότης· | |
| 15 | The aim is equality; as Scripture has it, 'The man who got much had no more than enough, and the man who got little did not go short.' | - He who gathered much had nothing over 2Cor.8.15 | Ex.16.18 | καθὼς γέγραπται, Ὁ τὸ πολὺ οὐκ ἐπλεόνασεν, |
| 16 | I thank God that he has made Titus as keen on your behalf as we are! | Titus and His Companions 2Cor.8.16-24 | Χάρις δὲ τῷ θεῷ τῷ δόντι τὴν αὐτὴν σπουδὴν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Τίτου, |
| 17 | For Titus not only welcomed our request; he is so eager that by his own desire he is now leaving to come to you. | ὁτι τὴν μὲν παράκλησιν ἐδέξατο, σπουδαιότερος δὲ ὑπάρχων αὐθαίρετος ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. | |
| 18 | With him we are sending one of our company whose reputation is high among our congregations everywhere for his services to the Gospel. | συνεπέμψαμεν δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὗ ὁ ἐπαινος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν | |
| 19 | Moreover they have duly appointed him to travel with us and help in this beneficent work, by which we do honour to the Lord himself and show our own eagerness to serve. | - οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν συνέκδημος ἡμῶν σὺν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ' ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν καὶ προθυμίαν ἡ μῶν - | |
| 20 | We want to guard against any criticism of our handling of this generous gift; | στελλόμενοι τοῦτο μή τις ἡμᾶς μωμήσηται ἐν τῇ ἀδρότητι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ' ἡμῶν· | |
| 21 | for our aims are entirely honourable, not only in the Lord's eyes, but also in the eyes of men. | - for we aim at what is honourable 2Cor.8.21 | Pr.3.4 | προνοοῦμεν γὰρ καλὰ οὐ μόνον ἐνώπιον κυρίου ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων. |
| 22 | With these men we are sending another of our company whose enthusiasm we have had many opportunities of testing, and who is now all the more earnest because of the great confidence he has in you. | συνεπέμψαμεν δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν ὃν ἐδοκιμάσαμεν ἐν πολλοῖς πολλάκις σπουδαῖον ὀντα, νυνὶ δὲ πολὺ σπουδαιότερον πεποιθήσει πολλῇ τῇ εἰς ὑμᾶς. | |
| 23 | If there is any question about Titus, he is my partner and my associate in dealings with you; as for the others, they are delegates of our congregations, an honour to Christ. Or: they are ... congregations; they reflect Christ. | εἰτε ὑπὲρ Τίτου, κοινωνὸς ἐμὸς καὶ εἰς ὑμᾶς συνεργός· εἰτε ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, ἀπόστολοι ἐκκλησιῶν, δόξα Χριστοῦ. | |
| 24 | Then give them clear expression of your love and justify our pride in you; justify it to them, and through them to the congregations. | τὴν οὖν ἐνδειξιν τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν καὶ ἡμῶν καυχήσεως ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐνδεικνύμενοι εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. | |
| 9 1 | About the provision of aid for God's people, it is superfluous for me to write to you. | The Offering for the Saints 2Cor.9.1-15 | Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἀγίους περισσόν μοί ἐστιν τὸ γράφειν ὑμῖν, |
| 2 | I know how eager you are to help; I speak of it with pride to the Macedonians: I tell them that Achaia had everything ready last year; and most of them have been fired by your zeal. | οἶδα γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν ἣν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καυχῶμαι Μακεδόσιν ὅτι Ἀχαΐα παρεσκεύασται ἀπὸ πέρυσι, καὶ τὸ ὑμῶν ζῆλος ἠρέθισεν τοὺς πλείονας. | |
| 3 | My purpose in sending these friends is to ensure that what we have said about you in this matter should not prove to be an empty boast. By that I mean, I want you to be prepared, as I told them you were; | ἐπεμψα δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἵνα μὴ τὸ καύχημα ἡμῶν τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κενωθῇ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ, ἵνα καθὼς ἐλεγον παρεσκευασμένοι ἦτε, | |
| 4 | for if I bring with me men from Macedonia and they find you are not prepared, what a disgrace it will be to us, let alone to you, after all the confidence we have shown! | μή πως ἐὰν ἐλθωσιν σὺν ἐμοὶ Μακεδόνες καὶ εὑρωσιν ὑμᾶς ἀπαρασκευάστους καταισχυνθῶμεν ἡμεῖς, ἵνα μὴ λέγω ὑμεῖς, ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει ταύτῃ. | |
| 5 | I have accordingly thought it necessary to ask these friends to go on ahead to Corinth, to see that your promised bounty is in order before I come; it will then be awaiting me as a bounty indeed, and not as an extortion. | ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἡγησάμην παρακαλέσαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἵνα προέλθωσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ προκαταρτίσωσιν τὴν προεπηγγελμένην εὐλογίαν ὑμῶν, ταύτην ἑτοίμην εἶναι οὑτως ὡς εὐλογίαν κα ὶ μὴ ὡς πλεονεξίαν. | |
| 6 | Remember: sparse sowing, sparse reaping; sow bountifully, and you will reap bountifully. | Τοῦτο δέ, ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. | |
| 7 | Each person should give as he has decided for himself; there should be no reluctance, no sense of compulsion; God loves a cheerful giver. | - for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Cor.9.7 | Pr.22.8 | ἑκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός. |
| 8 | And it is in God's power to provide you richly with every good gift; thus you will have ample means in yourselves to meet each and every situation, with enough and to spare for every good cause. | δυνατεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἐχοντες περισσεύητε εἰς πᾶν ἐργον ἀγαθόν, | |
| 9 | Scripture says of such a man: 'He has lavished his gifts on the needy, his benevolence stands fast for ever.' | - He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor 2Cor.9.9 | Ps.112.9 | καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκεν τοῖς πένησιν, |
| 10 | Now he who provides seed for sowing and bread for food will provide the seed for you to sow; he will multiply it and swell the harvest of your benevolence, | ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶν σπόρον τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἀρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσει καὶ πληθυνεῖ τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν καὶ αὐξήσει τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν· | |
| 11 | and you will always be rich enough to be generous. Through our action such generosity will issue in thanksgiving to God, | ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοι εἰς πᾶσαν ἀπλότητα, ἡτις κατεργάζεται δῖ ἡμῶν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ θεῷ - | |
| 12 | for as a piece of willing service this is not only a contribution towards the needs of God's people; more than that, it overflows in a flood of thanksgiving to God. | ὁτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίας ταύτης οὐ μόνον ἐστὶν προσαναπληροῦσα τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν ἀγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ θεῷ - | |
| 13 | For through the proof which this affords, many will give honour to God when they see how humbly you obey him and how faithfully you confess the gospel of Christ; and will thank him for your liberal contribution to their need and to the general good. | διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντες τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας, | |
| 14 | And as they join in prayer on your behalf, their hearts will go out to you because of the richness of the grace which God has imparted to you. | καὶ αὐτῶν δεήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπιποθούντων ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐφ' ὑμῖν. | |
| 15 | Thanks be to God for his gift beyond words! | χάρις τῷ θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ. | |