¹ Now brethren, we are making known to you° the grace of God which has been given in the congregations$ of Macedonia;

² because the abundance of the joy in much trial of affliction and according-to the depth of their poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.

³ I testify, that according-to their power, and yet beyond their power, and their self-preference,

⁴ they were beseeching from us, with much pleading, to help in the favor and the fellowship of the service of relief to the holy-ones.

⁵ And, not only as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us through the will of God,

⁶ $that$ we might encourage Titus, in-order-that just-as he made a beginning, so he might also complete this favor in you°.

⁷ But just-like you° are abounding in everything, in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all diligence and in the love$ from you° to us, see that$ you° also may abound in this favor.

⁸ I do not speak according-to a commandment, but through the diligence of others and testing the genuineness of your° love$.

⁹ For$ you° know the favor of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though being rich, yet he became-poor because of you°, in-order-that you° might be enriched through that poverty.

¹⁰ And I give my viewpoint in this; for$ this is advantageous for you°, who made a beginning from the past-year, not only to do$ this, but also to will it.

¹¹ But now also, complete° the doing$ of it; $that just-as there was the eagerness to wish it, so also to complete it out-of what you° have.

¹² For$ if the eagerness lays before you°, according-to whatever someone has, it is acceptable, not according-to what he does not have.

¹³ For$ I do not say that$ there should be relief to others but affliction to you°, but from equality, your° abundance in the current time is $for their lack,

¹⁴ in-order-that their abundance may also become $for your° lack, $that it may become equality,

¹⁵ as it has been written, ‘He who gathered much did not increase, and he who gathered few did not have less.’ {Exo 16:18}

¹⁶ But gratitude is to God, who is giving the same diligent-aid in the heart of Titus on your° behalf,

¹⁷ because he indeed accepted the encouragement, but being$ more diligent, he went forth to you° (his self-preference).

¹⁸ Now we sent together with him the brother, the one whose praise in the good-news is known through all the congregations$.

¹⁹ And not only in this, but also, he was assigned by the congregations$ to be our fellow traveling-associate together-with this favor, which is served by us to the glory of the same Lord and to show our eagerness.

²⁰ We are avoiding this thing, lest anyone might blame us in the matter of this lavish donation which is served by us;

²¹ planning-for good things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²² Now we sent our brother together-with them, whom we proved often, many times as being diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, by the large confidence which he has in you°.

²³ If anyone inquires in regard to Titus, whether our brethren, the ambassadors$ of the congregations$ (a glory of Christ), he is my partner and my fellow worker $for you°.

²⁴ Therefore, show° yourselves to them in the face of the congregations$, the example of your° love$ and of our boasting on your° behalf. {Paul used various words: service, bounty, blessing, to describe the food being sent to Jerusalem and other places during a long drought. The (sarcasm) below in 9:4 is typical Paul writing.}