2 Corinthians · Majority Standard Bible
2 Corinthians 8 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.
1 Γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν δεδομένην ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς Μακεδονίας,
2 In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.
2 ὅτι ἐν πολλῇ δοκιμῇ θλίψεως ἡ περισσεία τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ κατὰ βάθους πτωχεία αὐτῶν ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἁπλότητος αὐτῶν·
3 For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,
3 ὅτι κατὰ δύναμιν, μαρτυρῶ, καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, αὐθαίρετοι,
4 they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
4 μετὰ πολλῆς παρακλήσεως δεόμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους,
5 And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, through the will of God.
5 καὶ οὐ καθὼς ἠλπίσαμεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ἔδωκαν πρῶτον τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἡμῖν διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ,
6 So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.
6 εἰς τὸ παρακαλέσαι ἡμᾶς Τίτον, ἵνα καθὼς προενήρξατο οὕτω καὶ ἐπιτελέσῃ εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν χάριν ταύτην.
7 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
7 ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἐν παντὶ περισσεύετε, πίστει καὶ λόγῳ καὶ γνώσει καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ τῇ ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπῃ, ἵνα καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ χάριτι περισσεύητε.
8 I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others.
8 Οὐ κατ᾽ ἐπιταγὴν λέγω, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἑτέρων σπουδῆς καὶ τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης γνήσιον δοκιμάζων·
9 For 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.
9 γινώσκετε γὰρ τὴν χάριν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι δι᾽ ὑμᾶς ἐπτώχευσε πλούσιος ὤν, ἵνα ὑμεῖς τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσητε.
10 And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.
10 καὶ γνώμην ἐν τούτῳ δίδωμι· τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν συμφέρει, οἵτινες οὐ μόνον τὸ ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ θέλειν προενήρξασθε ἀπὸ πέρυσι·
11 Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means.
11 νυνὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι ἐπιτελέσατε, ὅπως καθάπερ ἡ προθυμία τοῦ θέλειν, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἐπιτελέσαι ἐκ τοῦ ἔχειν.
12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
12 εἰ γὰρ ἡ προθυμία πρόκειται, καθὸ ἐὰν ἔχῃ τις εὐπρόσδεκτος, οὐ καθὸ οὐκ ἔχει.
13 It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.
13 οὐ γὰρ ἵνα ἄλλοις ἄνεσις, ὑμῖν δὲ θλῖψις, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἰσότητος ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ τὸ ὑμῶν περίσσευμα εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ὑστέρημα,
14 At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. This way there will be equality.
14 ἵνα καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων περίσσευμα γένηται εἰς τὸ ὑμῶν ὑστέρημα, ὅπως γένηται ἰσότης,
15 As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.”
15 καθὼς γέγραπται· ὁ τὸ πολὺ οὐκ ἐπλεόνασε, καὶ ὁ τὸ ὀλίγον οὐκ ἠλαττόνησε.
16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.
16 Χάρις δὲ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ διδόντι τὴν αὐτὴν σπουδὴν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Τίτου,
17 For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition.
17 ὅτι τὴν μὲν παράκλησιν ἐδέξατο, σπουδαιότερος δὲ ὑπάρχων αὐθαίρετος ἐξῆλθε πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
18 Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel.
18 συνεπέμψαμεν δὲ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ διὰ πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν· —
19 More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the gracious gift we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.
19 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν συνέκδημος ἡμῶν σὺν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου δόξαν καὶ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν· —
20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.
20 στελλόμενοι τοῦτο, μή τις ἡμᾶς μωμήσηται ἐν τῇ ἁδρότητι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν,
21 We are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.
21 προνοούμενοι καλὰ οὐ μόνον ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων.
22 And we are sending along with them our brother who has proven his earnestness to us many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you.
22 συνεπέμψαμεν δὲ αὐτοῖς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν, ὃν ἐδοκιμάσαμεν ἐν πολλοῖς πολλάκις σπουδαῖον ὄντα, νυνὶ δὲ πολὺ σπουδαιότερον πεποιθήσει πολλῇ τῇ εἰς ὑμᾶς.
23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.
23 εἴτε ὑπὲρ Τίτου, κοινωνὸς ἐμὸς καὶ εἰς ὑμᾶς συνεργός· εἴτε ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, ἀπόστολοι ἐκκλησιῶν, δόξα Χριστοῦ.
24 In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
24 Τὴν οὖν ἔνδειξιν τῆς ἀγάπης ὑμῶν καὶ ἡμῶν καυχήσεως ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐνδείξασθε εἰς πρόσωπον τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Titus
A Greek coworker of Paul, not compelled to be circumcised, who carried Paul's letters to Corinth, and whom Paul left in Crete to set things in order.
Cited in the guide: 2 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 8:23; Galatians 2:3
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 16:9; 2 Corinthians 9:2; 2 Corinthians 11:9; Acts 11:23; 2 Corinthians 9:12
- 2 James 2:5; Proverbs 11:25; 2 Corinthians 6:10; Deuteronomy 15:4; 2 Corinthians 9:13
- 3 Exodus 35:29; Exodus 35:5; 2 Corinthians 9:6–7; Exodus 35:21–22; Philemon 14
- 4 Galatians 6:10; Acts 24:17; 2 Corinthians 9:1; Hebrews 6:10; 1 John 3:16–18
- 5 Romans 12:1; Romans 14:7–9; Romans 6:13; 2 Corinthians 8:1; 2 Chronicles 30:12
- 6 2 Corinthians 12:18; 2 Corinthians 8:19; 2 Corinthians 8:16–17; 2 Corinthians 8:4; Philippians 4:18
- 7 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Peter 1:5–8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Philippians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 13:2
- 8 1 Corinthians 7:6; 1 John 3:17–19; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Corinthians 9:7; James 2:14–16
- 9 Romans 8:32; Philippians 2:6–8; Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 6:10
- 10 Hebrews 13:16; 1 Timothy 6:18–19; Proverbs 19:17; James 2:15–16; 2 Corinthians 9:2
- 11 2 Corinthians 9:2
- 12 Mark 12:42–44; Luke 21:1–4; Exodus 35:29; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Exodus 35:21–22
- 13 Acts 4:34; Romans 15:26–27
- 14 2 Corinthians 9:12; Acts 4:34
- 15 Exodus 16:18; Luke 22:35
- 16 Revelation 17:17; Jeremiah 32:40; 2 Corinthians 2:13–14; 2 Corinthians 7:12; Ezra 7:27
- 17 2 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 13:22; 2 Corinthians 8:10; 2 Corinthians 8:8
- 18 2 Corinthians 12:18; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 2 Corinthians 8:19; 2 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 8:22–23
- 19 1 Corinthians 16:3–4; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Corinthians 4:15; 1 Peter 4:10–11; 2 Corinthians 9:12–14
- 20 Ephesians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Romans 14:16; Matthew 10:16; 1 Corinthians 16:3
- 21 Romans 12:17; 1 Peter 2:12; Philippians 4:8; Titus 2:5–8; Romans 14:18
- 22 Philippians 2:20–22
- 23 Philippians 2:25; Philemon 17; 3 John 8; 2 Corinthians 8:6; Philippians 4:3
- 24 2 Corinthians 7:14; 2 Corinthians 7:4; 2 Corinthians 8:8; 2 Corinthians 9:2–4
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
See again his exhortation accompanied with commendations, greater commendations. And he said not, that ye give,' but "that ye abound; in faith," namely, of the gifts, and "in utterance," the word of wisdom, and "knowledge," namely, of the doctrines, and "in all earnestness," to the attaining of all other virtue.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)
And since His voice is acknowledged in the prophecy, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell," He has brought Him down to hell and brought Him up again. By this poverty of His we are made rich; for "the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich." But that we may know what this is, let us hear what follows: "He …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For having spoken of the noble spirit they had shown in regard of their goods, he saith, "They gave also their own selves to the Lord, and to us."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For while he pursues an upright life, he takes care to maintain a good reputation as well, providing things honest in the sight of God and men, fearing God, and caring for men.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For this cause "He became poor, that He might make us rich;" for this cause He underwent all those sufferings, that He might incite us to ask.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)