1 WYC But, britheren, we maken knowun to you the grace of God, that is youun in the chirchis of Macedonye, BSB BSB: Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.
2 WYC that in myche asaiyng of tribulacioun, the plente of the ioye of hem was, and the hiyeste pouert of hem was plenteuouse `in to the richessis of the symplenesse of hem. BSB BSB: In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.
3 WYC For Y bere witnessyng to hem, aftir miyt and aboue miyt thei weren wilful, BSB BSB: For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,
4 WYC with myche monestyng bisechynge vs the grace and the comynyng of mynystring, that is maad to hooli men. BSB BSB: they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
5 WYC And not as we hopiden, but thei yauen hem silf first to the Lord, aftirward to vs bi the wille of God. BSB BSB: 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.
6 WYC So that we preyeden Tite, that as he bigan, so also he performe in you this grace. BSB BSB: So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.
7 WYC But as ye abounden in alle thingis, in feith, and word, and kunnyng, and al bisynesse, more ouer and in youre charite in to vs, that and in this grace ye abounden. BSB BSB: But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 WYC Y seie not as comaundinge, but bi the bisynesse of othere men appreuynge also the good wit of youre charite. BSB BSB: I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others.
9 WYC And ye witen the grace of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, for he was maad nedi for you, whanne he was riche, that ye schulden be maad riche bi his nedynesse. BSB BSB: 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.
10 WYC And Y yyue counsel in this thing; for this is profitable to you, that not oneli han bigunne to do, but also ye bigunnen to haue wille fro the formere yere. BSB BSB: 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.
11 WYC But now parfourme ye in deed, that as the discrecioun of wille is redi, so be it also of parformyng of that that ye han. BSB BSB: Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means.
12 WYC For if the wille be redi, it is acceptid aftir that that it hath, not aftir that that it hath not. BSB BSB: For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13 WYC And not that it be remyssioun to othere men, and to you tribulacioun; BSB BSB: It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.
14 WYC but of euenesse in the present tyme youre aboundance fulfille the myseese of hem, that also the aboundaunce of hem be a fulfillynge of youre myseise, that euenesse be maad; as it is writun, BSB BSB: 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.
15 WYC He that gaderide myche, was not encresid, and he that gaderide litil, hadde not lesse. BSB BSB: As it is written: “He who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall.”
16 WYC And Y do thankyngis to God, that yaf the same bisynesse for you in the herte of Tite, BSB BSB: But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.
17 WYC for he resseyuede exortacioun; but whanne he was bisier, bi his wille he wente forth to you. BSB BSB: For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition.
18 WYC And we senten with hym a brother, whose preisyng is in the gospel bi alle chirchis. BSB BSB: Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel.
19 WYC And not oneli, but also he is ordeyned of chirchis the felowe of oure pilgrimage in to this grace, that is mynystrid of vs to the glorie of the Lord, and to oure ordeyned wille; BSB BSB: More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the gracious offering we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.
20 WYC eschewynge this thing, that no man blame vs in this plente, that is mynystrid of vs to the glorye of the Lord. BSB BSB: We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.
21 WYC For we purueyen good thingis, not onely bifor God, but also bifor alle men. BSB BSB: For 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.
22 WYC For we senten with hem also oure brothir, whom we han preued in many thingis ofte, that he was bisi, but nowe myche bisier, for myche trist in you, BSB BSB: 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.
23 WYC ethir for Tite, that is my felowe and helpere in you, ethir for oure britheren, apostlis of the chirches of the glorie of Crist. BSB BSB: 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.
24 WYC Therfor schewe ye in to hem in the face of chirchis, that schewynge that is of youre charite and of oure glorie for you. BSB BSB: In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.