2 Corinthians 8:7-15 NIV

⁷But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us^[a]—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 sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

¹⁰And here is my advice 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 he 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. Then there will be equality, ¹⁵as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."^[b]

Footnotes:

2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts in our love for you
2 Corinthians 8:15 Exodus 16:18

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

New International Version
Biblica
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984

Link to 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 NIV:
http://www.Biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=2Corinthians8:7-15&niv=yes

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 AMP

⁷Now as you abound and excel and are at the front in everything--in faith, in expressing yourselves, in knowledge, in all zeal, and in your love for us--[see to it that you come to the front now and] abound and excel in this gracious work [of almsgiving] also.

⁸I give this not as an order [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the zeal of others, the sincerity of your [own] love also.

⁹For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).

¹⁰[It is then] my counsel and my opinion in this matter that I give [you when I say]: It is profitable and fitting for you [now to complete the enterprise] which more than a year ago you not only began, but were the first to wish to do anything [about contributions for the relief of the saints at Jerusalem].

¹¹So now finish doing it, that your [enthusiastic] readiness in desiring it may be equalled by your completion of it according to your ability and means.

¹²For if the [eager] readiness to give is there, then it is acceptable and welcomed in proportion to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For it is not [intended] that other people be eased and relieved [of their responsibility] and you be burdened and suffer [unfairly],

¹⁴But to have equality [share and share alike], your surplus over necessity at the present time going to meet their want and to equalize the difference created by it, so that [at some other time] their surplus in turn may be given to supply your want. Thus there may be equality,

¹⁵As it is written, He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little did not lack.

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

Amplified Bible
The Lockman Foundation
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 KJV

Audio

   ⁷Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
   ⁸I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
   ⁹For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
   ¹⁰And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
   ¹¹Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
   ¹²For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
   ¹³For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
   ¹⁴But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
   ¹⁵As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

Audio

King James Version
Public Domain

Link to 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 KJV:
http://www.Biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=2Corinthians8:7-15&kjv=yes

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 NASB

⁷But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the ^[a]love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

⁸I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

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.

¹⁰I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.

¹¹But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.

¹²For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality--

¹⁴at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality;

¹⁵as it is written, "HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK."

Footnotes:

2 Corinthians 8:7 Lit love from us in you; one early ms reads your love for us

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

New American Standard Bible
The Lockman Foundation
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995

Link to 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 NASB:
http://www.Biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=2Corinthians8:7-15&nasb=yes

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 NLT

⁷ Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us^[a]—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

⁸ I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

⁹ You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

¹⁰ Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. ¹¹ Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. ¹² Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. ¹³ Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. ¹⁴ Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. ¹⁵ As the Scriptures say,

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over,
and those who gathered only a little had enough.”^[b]

Footnotes:

2 Corinthians 8:7 Some manuscripts read your love for us.
2 Corinthians 8:15 Exod 16:18.

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 MSG

^{5 -7}This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That's what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things—you trust God, you're articulate, you're insightful, you're passionate, you love us—now, do your best in this, too.

^{8 -9}I'm not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians' enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.

   ^{10 -20}So here's what I think: The best thing you can do right now is to finish what you started last year and not let those good intentions grow stale. Your heart's been in the right place all along. You've got what it takes to finish it up, so go to it. Once the commitment is clear, you do what you can, not what you can't. The heart regulates the hands. This isn't so others can take it easy while you sweat it out. No, you're shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end you come out even. As it is written,

   Nothing left over to the one with the most,
   Nothing lacking to the one with the least. I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have. He was most considerate of how we felt, but his eagerness to go to you and help out with this relief offering is his own idea. We're sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message. But there's far more to him than popularity. He's rock-solid trustworthy. The churches handpicked him to go with us as we travel about doing this work of sharing God's gifts to honor God as well as we can, taking every precaution against scandal.

About the Book of 2 Corinthians

Link to 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 MSG:
http://www.Biblica.com/bible/verse/?q=2Corinthians8:7-15&msg=yes