¹Indeed, it is unnecessary for me to write to y’all concerning the deacon-work to the saints,

²for I know y’all’s eagerness, and I boast about y’all to the Macedonians, saying that Achaia has been prepared since last year. Y’all’s zeal has stirred up most of them.

³But I am sending the siblings so that our boasting about y’all may not prove to be empty in this case, but that y’all would be ready just as I said.

⁴Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find y’all unprepared, we, not to mention y’all, would be put to shame by this overconfidence.

⁵So I deemed it necessary to urge the siblings to go on ahead to y’all and arrange ahead of time the generous gift y’all had promised. Then it would be ready as a matter of generosity, rather than coercion.

Living Generously

⁶This is the point: the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

⁷Each person should give according to what they have determined in their heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸And God is able to make every gracious gift overflow to y’all, so by having everything in every situation, y’all may overflow with every good work.

⁹As it is written,

“This person has scattered and given to the poor.

Their righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰Now ʜᴇ who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and increase y’all’s seed and cause the harvest of y’all’s righteousness to grow.

¹¹Y’all will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

¹²For this deacon-work of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.

¹³Through the evidence of this deacon-work they will glorify God for y’all’s obedient confession in the gospel of Christ and for the generosity of y’all’s contribution to them and to everyone,

¹⁴and in their prayers for y’all, they have affection for y’all because of the surpassing grace of God in y’all.

¹⁵Now thanks be to God for ʜɪꜱ indescribable gift!