2 Corinthians 8-10

II Corinthians 8

¹But we make known to you, brethren, the grace of God bestowed in the assemblies of Macedonia;

²that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty has abounded to the riches of their free-hearted liberality.

³For according to their power, I bear witness, and beyond their power, they were willing of their own accord,

⁴begging of us with much entreaty to give effect to the grace and fellowship of the service which was to be rendered to the saints.

⁵And not according as we hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and to us by God's will.

⁶So that we begged Titus that, according as he had before begun, so he would also complete as to you this grace also;

⁷but even as ye abound in every way, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in love from you to us, that ye may abound in this grace also.

⁸I do not speak as commanding it, but through the zeal of others, and proving the genuineness of your love.

⁹For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes he, being rich, became poor, in order that *ye* by *his* poverty might be enriched.

¹⁰And I give my opinion in this, for this is profitable for you who began before, not only to do, but also to be willing, a year ago.

¹¹But now also complete the doing of it; so that as there was the readiness to be willing, so also to complete out of what ye have.

¹²For if the readiness be there, a man is accepted according to what he may have, not according to what he has not.

¹³For it is not in order that there may be ease for others, and for you distress,

¹⁴but on the principle of equality; in the present time your abundance for their lack, that their abundance may be for your lack, so that there should be equality.

¹⁵According as it is written, He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little was nothing short.

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who gives the same diligent zeal for you in the heart of Titus.

¹⁷For he received indeed the entreaty, but, being full of zeal, he went of his own accord to you;

¹⁸but we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the glad tidings through all the assemblies;

¹⁹and not only so, but is also chosen by the assemblies as our fellow-traveller with this grace, ministered by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and a witness of our readiness;

²⁰avoiding this, that any one should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us;

²¹for we provide for things honest, not only before the Lord, but also before men.

²²And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved to be of diligent zeal in many things, and now more diligently zealous through the great confidence he has as to you.

²³Whether as regards Titus, he is my companion and fellow-labourer in your behalf; or our brethren, they are deputed messengers of assemblies, Christ's glory.

²⁴Shew therefore to them, before the assemblies, the proof of your love, and of our boasting about you.

II Corinthians 9

¹For concerning the ministration which is for the saints, it is superfluous my writing to you.

²For I know your readiness, which I boast of as respects you to Macedonians, that Achaia is prepared since a year ago, and the zeal reported of you has stimulated the mass of the brethren.

³But I have sent the brethren, in order that our boasting about you may not be made void in this respect, in order that, as I have said, ye may be prepared;

⁴lest haply, if Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, *we*, that we say not *ye*, may be put to shame in this confidence.

⁵I thought it necessary therefore to beg the brethren that they would come to you, and complete beforehand your fore-announced blessing, that this may be ready thus as blessing, and not as got out of you.

⁶But this is true, he that sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that sows in the spirit of blessing shall reap also in blessing:

⁷each according as he is purposed in his heart; not grievingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸But God is able to make every gracious gift abound towards you, that, having in every way always all-sufficiency, ye may abound to every good work:

⁹according as it is written, He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness remains for ever.

¹⁰Now he that supplies seed to the sower and bread for eating shall supply and make abundant your sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness:

¹¹enriched in every way unto all free-hearted liberality, which works through us thanksgiving to God.

¹²Because the ministration of this service is not only filling up the measure of what is lacking to the saints, but also abounding by many thanksgivings to God;

¹³they glorifying God through the proof of this ministration, by reason of your subjection, by profession, to the glad tidings of the Christ, and your free-hearted liberality in communicating towards them and towards all;

¹⁴and in their supplication for you, full of ardent desire for you, on account of the exceeding grace of God which is upon you.

¹⁵Thanks be to God for his unspeakable free gift.

II Corinthians 10

¹But I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ, who, as to appearance, when present am mean among you, but absent am bold towards you;

²but I beseech that present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I think to be daring towards some who think of us as walking according to flesh.

³For walking in flesh, we do not war according to flesh.

⁴For the arms of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful according to God to the overthrow of strongholds;

⁵overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ;

⁶and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience shall have been fulfilled.

⁷Do ye look at what concerns appearance? If any one has confidence in himself that he is of Christ, let him think this again in himself, that even as he is of Christ, so also are we.

⁸For and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given to us for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame;

⁹that I may not seem as if I was frightening you by letters:

¹⁰because his letters, he says, are weighty and strong, but his presence in the body weak, and his speech naught.

¹¹Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by letters when absent, such also present in deed.

¹²For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not intelligent.

¹³Now *we* will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also.

¹⁴For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, (for we have come to you also in the glad tidings of the Christ;)

¹⁵not boasting out of measure in other people's labours, but having hope, your faith increasing, to be enlarged amongst you, according to our rule, yet more abundantly

¹⁶to announce the glad tidings to that which is beyond you, not to be boasting in another's rule of things made ready to hand.

¹⁷But he that boasts, let him boast in the Lord.

¹⁸For not *he* that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.