1There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the Lord’s people. 2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we – not to say anything about you – would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.
Generosity encouraged
6Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever.’9:9 Psalm 112:9
10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
1ለቅዱሳን ስለሚደረገው አገልግሎት ልጽፍላችሁ አያስፈልግም። 2ምክንያቱም ሌሎችን ለመርዳት ያላችሁን በጎ ፈቃድ ዐውቃለሁ፤ ካለፈው ዓመት ጀምሮ እናንተ በአካይያ የምትኖሩ ሌሎችን ለመርዳት ዝግጁ እንደ ሆናችሁ ለመቄዶንያ ሰዎች አፌን ሞልቼ ተናግሬአለሁ፤ ቅን ፍላጎታችሁም ብዙዎችን ለበጎ ሥራ አነሣሥቷል። 3እንግዲህ በዚህ ነገር በእናንተ ላይ ያለን ትምክሕት ከንቱ ሆኖ እንዳይቀር፣ አስቀድሞ ስለ እናንተ እንደ ተናገርሁት ተዘጋጅታችሁ እንድትገኙ ወንድሞችን ልኬአለሁ። 4ምናልባት የመቄዶንያ ሰዎች ከእኔ ጋር መጥተው ሳትዘጋጁ ቢያገኟችሁ፣ እናንተ ብቻ ሳትሆኑ እኛም ያን ያህል በእናንተ በመመካታችን እናፍራለን። 5ስለዚህ ወንድሞች አስቀድመው ወደ እናንተ እንዲመጡና ከዚህ በፊት ለመስጠት ቃል የገባችሁትን ስጦታ አጠናቅቃችሁ እንድትጠብቋቸው፣ እነርሱን መለመን አስፈላጊ ሆኖ አግኝቻለሁ፤ እንግዲህ በልግስና ለመስጠት ያሰባችሁት ነገር በግዴታ ሳይሆን በፈቃደኝነት የተዘጋጀ ይሆናል።
በልግስና መስጠት
6ይህን አስታውሱ፤ ጥቂት የዘራ ጥቂት ያጭዳል፤ ብዙ የዘራ ብዙ ያጭዳል። 7እያንዳንዱ ሰው በቅሬታ ወይም በግዴታ ሳይሆን፣ በልቡ ያሰበውን ያህል ይስጥ፤ ምክንያቱም እግዚአብሔር በደስታ የሚሰጠውን ሰው ይወድዳል። 8ሁልጊዜ በሁሉ ነገር የሚያስፈልጋችሁን ሁሉ አግኝታችሁ ለበጎ ሥራ ሁሉ እንድትተርፉ፣ እግዚአብሔር ጸጋን ሁሉ ሊያበዛላችሁ ይችላል፤ 9ይህም፣
“በተነ፤ ለድኾችም ሰጠ፤
ጽድቁ ለዘላለም ይኖራል”
ተብሎ እንደ ተጻፈው ነው።
10ለዘሪ ዘርን፣ ለመብላት እንጀራን የሚሰጥ እርሱ የምትዘሩትን አትረፍርፎ ይሰጣችኋል፤ የጽድቃችሁንም ፍሬ ያበዛላችኋል። 11ሁልጊዜ በልግስና መስጠት እንድትችሉ በሁሉ ነገር ያበለጽጋችኋል፤ ልግስናችሁም በእኛ በኩል የሚደርሳቸው ሰዎች እግዚአብሔርን ለማመስገን ምክንያት ይሆናቸዋል።
12ይህ የምትሰጡት አገልግሎት የቅዱሳንን ጕድለት የሚያሟላ ብቻ ሳይሆን፣ ብዙ ምስጋና ለእግዚአብሔር የሚቀርብበት ነው። 13የክርስቶስን ወንጌል ተቀብላችሁ ስለ ታዘዛችሁና ለእነርሱም ሆነ ለሌሎች ስላሳያችሁት ልግስና ሰዎች ተፈትኖ ስላለፈው አገልግሎታችሁ እግዚአብሔርን ያከብራሉ፤ 14ስለ እናንተም በሚጸልዩበት ጊዜ እግዚአብሔር ከሰጣችሁ ታላቅ ጸጋ የተነሣ ይናፍቋችኋል። 15በቃላት ሊገለጥ ስለማይቻል ስጦታው እግዚአብሔር ይመስገን።
