8

The Collection for the Lord’s People

¹And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ²In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you⚓ —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
⁸I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
¹⁰And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹²For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
¹³Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, ¹⁵as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”⚓

Titus Sent to Receive the Collection

¹⁶Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.
²²In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

8

Ua sab daav pub

¹Cov kwvtij, peb xaav kuas mej paub txug Vaajtswv txujkev hlub kws nwg pub rua cov pawg ntseeg huv lub xeev Makhentaunia. ²Thaus puab raug kev swm sab kws yog kev txom nyem ceblaaj, puab txujkev xyiv faab kawg nkaus hab puab txujkev pluag phwj tshwm lug ua kuas muaj lub sab daav kawg pub rua luas. ³Kuv ua tau timkhawv tas puab pub lawv le puab tug peevxwm, hab yeej pub dhau puab tug peevxwm. Tsw muaj leejtwg yuam puab ⁴los puab thov peb heev ca puab muaj feem rua txujkev hlub kws paab Vaajtswv cov xuv dawb. ⁵Hab puab tsw ua le kws peb xaav tseg ca, puab xub muab puab tug kheej pub rua tug Tswv le maav muab pub rua peb lawv le Vaajtswv lub sab nyam. ⁶Vem le nuav peb txhad thov Titau kuas nwg paab mej ua txujkev hlub nuav kuas tav tsua qhov nwg yog tug kws chiv ua teg num hov. ⁷Ib yaam le nwgnuav mej muaj txhua yaam txhwj lawm tsw has kev ntseeg, kev has lug, kev paub, kev kub sab rua txhua yaam hab txujkev hlub kws mej muaj rua peb,⚓ mej yuav tsum muaj txujkev hlub nuav txhwj hab.
⁸Qhov kws kuv has le nuav tsw yog kuv yuam mej, tassws yog coj qhov kws lwm tug kub sab quas lug tuaj swm mej txujkev hlub saib muaj tseeb los tsw muaj. ⁹Vem mej paub peb tug Tswv Yexu Kheto txujkev hlub lawm tas, txawm yog nwg nplua nuj los nwg kuj yeem ua tug pluag vem yog saib rua mej, sub mej txhad ua tuabneeg nplua nuj vem yog qhov kws nwg ua tug pluag. ¹⁰Hab kuv has lawv le kuv xaam pum qhov kws zoo rua mej ua. Tseb nua mej tsw yog thawj cov kws nqeg teg ua xwb tassws mej yog thawj cov kws xaav ua hab. ¹¹Mas nwgnuav tswm nyog mej ua kuas tav, sub mej kub sab quas lug xaav ua le caag, mej txhad ua kuas tav lawv le muaj peevxwm ua tau ib yaam le ntawd. ¹²Yog muaj lub sab kub quas lug lawm, Vaajtswv yuav txais yuav lawv le kws yug muaj tsw yog lawv le yug tsw muaj. ¹³Tsw yog kuv xaav ca lwm tug le num swb, ca mej le num nyaav, tassws yeej xaav kuas zoo sws txwg. ¹⁴Qhov kws nwgnuav mej muaj nplua quas mag kuj paab cov kws tu ncua, hab thaus puab muaj nplua quas mag, puab yuav paab mej rua thaus tu ncua sub txhad zoo sws txwg. ¹⁵Lawv le muaj lug sau ca has tas, “Tug kws khaws tau ntau kuj tsw muaj seem, tug kws khaws tau tsawg kuj tsw tu ncua.”⚓

Titau hab cov kws nrug nwg ua num

¹⁶Ua Vaajtswv tsaug kws pub qhov kws kub sab quas lug rua mej rua huv Titau lub sab ib yaam le kuv kub sab. ¹⁷Tsua qhov nwg tsw yog zoo sab txais tej lug kws peb thov nwg xwb tassws nwg tseed kub sab quas lug heev moog cuag mej tsw muaj leejtwg yuam nwg. ¹⁸Peb xaa tug kwvtij kws txhua pawg ntseeg qhuas qhov kws nwg txawj pav txuj xuv zoo nrug nwg ua ke moog. ¹⁹Tsw taag le ntawd xwb cov pawg ntseeg tseed xaiv tsaa tug nuav kuas nrug peb taug kev hab nrug peb koom ua teg num huv txuj moov zoo kws peb saamswm ua nuav, ua kuas Vaajtswv tau koob meej hab ua kuas pum qhov kws peb kub sab quas lug. ²⁰Peb xaav kuas tsw muaj leejtwg thuaj tau peb txug tej kws luas pub ntau kawg rua peb ceev hab tu. ²¹Peb npaaj sab ua ncaaj nceeg tsw yog ua taab meeg tug Tswv lub qhov muag xwb tassws taab meeg ib tsoom suavdawg hab. ²²Peb kuj khaiv peb tug kwvtij nrug ob tug moog hab, yog tug kws peb tub muab swm ntau zag lawm pum tas nwg kub sab rua ntau qhov, hab nwgnuav nwg yimfuab kub sab heev dua vem nwg tso sab rua mej ntau heev. ²³Has txug Titau, nwg koom nrug kuv hab paab kuv ua koom rua mej. Has txug ob tug kwvtij ntawd, cov pawg ntseeg khaiv ob tug moog hab ob tug ua rua Kheto tau koob meej. ²⁴Vem le nuav mej ca le ua mej txujkev hlub hab tej kws kuv khaav txug mej tshwm rua puab pum hab ua tshwm rua cov pawg ntseeg pum.