2Cor.8.16

I thank God for giving Titus the same devoted concern for you that I have.

2Cor.8.16

I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

2Cor.8.16

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

2Cor.8.16

I am thankful to God that he has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have.

2Cor.8.17

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.

2Cor.8.17

For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.

2Cor.8.17

For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.

2Cor.8.17

He welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was eager to go and see you.

2Cor.8.18

We're sending a companion along with him, someone very popular in the churches for his preaching of the Message.

2Cor.8.18

And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.

2Cor.8.18

And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches,

2Cor.8.18

We are also sending another brother with Titus. He is highly praised in all the churches as a preacher of the Good News.

2Cor.8.19

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,

2Cor.8.19

What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.

2Cor.8.19

and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind,

2Cor.8.19

He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem--a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.

2Cor.8.20

taking every precaution against scandal. We don't want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves.

2Cor.8.20

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.

2Cor.8.20

avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us--

2Cor.8.20

By traveling together we will guard against any suspicion, for we are anxious that no one should find fault with the way we are handling this generous gift.

2Cor.8.21

We're being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God.

2Cor.8.21

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

2Cor.8.21

providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

2Cor.8.21

We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to know we are honorable.

2Cor.8.22

That's why we're sending another trusted friend along. He's proved his dependability many times over, and carries on as energetically as the day he started. He's heard much about you, and liked what he's heard--so much so that he can't wait to get there.

2Cor.8.22

In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.

2Cor.8.22

And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you.

2Cor.8.22

And we are also sending with them another brother who has been thoroughly tested and has shown how earnest he is on many occasions. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his increased confidence in you.

2Cor.8.23

I don't need to say anything further about Titus. We've been close associates in this work of serving you for a long time. The brothers who travel with him are delegates from churches, a real credit to Christ.

2Cor.8.23

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ.

2Cor.8.23

If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

2Cor.8.23

If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And these brothers are representatives of the churches. They are splendid examples of those who bring glory to Christ.

2Cor.8.24

Show them what you're made of, the love I've been talking up in the churches. Let them see it for themselves!

2Cor.8.24

Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

2Cor.8.24

Therefore show to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

2Cor.8.24

So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.

2Cor.9.1

If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I'd be repeating myself.

2Cor.9.1

There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints.

2Cor.9.1

Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you;

2Cor.9.1

I really don't need to write to you about this gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.

2Cor.9.2

I know you're on board and ready to go. I've been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, "Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year." Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.

2Cor.9.2

For 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.

2Cor.9.2

for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.

2Cor.9.2

For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to our friends in Macedonia that you Christians in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of them to begin helping.

2Cor.9.3

Now I'm sending the brothers to make sure you're ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won't turn out to be just so much hot air.

2Cor.9.3

But 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.

2Cor.9.3

Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready;

2Cor.9.3

But I am sending these brothers just to be sure that you really are ready, as I told them you would be, with your money all collected. I don't want it to turn out that I was wrong in my boasting about you.

2Cor.9.4

If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren't prepared, we'd all be pretty red-faced--you and us--for acting so sure of ourselves.

2Cor.9.4

For 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.

2Cor.9.4

lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

2Cor.9.4

I would be humiliated--and so would you--if some Macedonian Christians came with me, only to find that you still weren't ready after all I had told them!

2Cor.9.5

So to make sure there will be no slipup, I've recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don't want anything forced or hurried at the last minute.

2Cor.9.5

So 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.

2Cor.9.5

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

2Cor.9.5

So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given under pressure.