Goodspeed(i)
1 I must tell you, brothers, how the favor of God has been shown in the churches of Macedonia,
2 for in spite of a severe ordeal of trouble, their extraordinary gladness, combined with their extreme poverty, has overflowed in a wealth of generosity.
3 For they have given to the utmost of their ability, as I can bear them witness, and beyond it,
4 and begged me most earnestly, of their own accord, to let them share in the support of their fellow-Christians.
5 They did far more than I hoped, for first in obedience to God's will, they gave themselves to the Lord, and to me.
6 This has led me to urge Titus to complete the arrangements he had formerly begun among you for this gracious undertaking.
7 Just as you excel in everything else—faith, expression, knowledge, perfect devotion, and the love we have awakened in you—you must excel in this generous undertaking too.
8 I do not mean this as a command. I only want to test the genuineness of your love by the devotion of others.
9 You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.