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1 Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους περισσόν μοί ἐστιν τὸ γράφειν ὑμῖν, 2 οἶδα γὰρ τὴν προθυμίαν ὑμῶν ἣν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καυχῶμαι Μακεδόσιν ὅτι Ἀχαΐα παρεσκεύασται ἀπὸ πέρυσι, καὶ τὸ ὑμῶν ζῆλος ἠρέθισεν τοὺς πλείονας. 3 ἔπεμψα δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἵνα μὴ τὸ καύχημα ἡμῶν τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κενωθῇ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ, ἵνα καθὼς ἔλεγον παρεσκευασμένοι ἦτε, 4 μή 5 ἀναγκαῖον οὖν ἡγησάμην παρακαλέσαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἵνα προέλθωσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς καὶ προκαταρτίσωσιν τὴν προεπηγγελμένην εὐλογίαν ὑμῶν, ταύτην ἑτοίμην εἶναι οὕτως ὡς εὐλογίαν, καὶ μὴ ὡς πλεονεξίαν. 6 Τοῦτο δέ, ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει, καὶ ὁ σπείρων ἐπ' εὐλογίαις ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καὶ θερίσει. 7 ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ θεός. 8 δυνατεῖ δὲ ὁ θεὸς πᾶσαν χάριν περισσεῦσαι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν παντὶ πάντοτε πᾶσαν αὐτάρκειαν ἔχοντες περισσεύητε εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν, 9 καθὼς γέγραπται, ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκεν τοῖς πένησιν, ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 10 ὁ δὲ ἐπιχορηγῶν σπόρον τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν χορηγήσει καὶ πληθυνεῖ τὸν σπόρον ὑμῶν καὶ αὐξήσει τὰ γενήματα τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὑμῶν: 11 ἐν παντὶ πλουτιζόμενοι εἰς πᾶσαν ἁπλότητα, ἥτις κατεργάζεται δι' ἡμῶν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ θεῷ 12 ὅτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίας ταύτης οὐ μόνον ἐστὶν προσαναπληροῦσα τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ θεῷ 13 διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντες τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας, 14 καὶ αὐτῶν δεήσει ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπιποθούντων ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐφ' ὑμῖν. 15 χάρις τῷ θεῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ. | 1 And indeed, to write and tell you about the collection for the saints would be waste of time; 2 I know well your eagerness, which has made me boast to the Macedonians that Achaia has been ready ever since last year, and this challenge of yours has stirred up others beside yourselves. 3 If I am sending the brethren, it is only for fear that the boast we made of you should prove false in this particular; as I told you, I would have you quite ready; 4 or else, when some of the Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, and you too for that matter, will be put to the blush over this confidence of ours. 5 That is why I have thought it necessary to ask the brethren to visit you first, and see that the free offering you have already promised is prepared beforehand. Only it is to be a free offering, not a grudging tribute. 6 I would remind you of this, He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly; he who sows freely will reap freely too. 7 Each of you should carry out the purpose he has formed in his heart, not with any painful effort; it is the cheerful giver God loves. 8 God has the power to supply you abundantly with every kind of blessing, so that, with all your needs well supplied at all times, you may have something to spare for every work of mercy. 9 So we read, He has spent largely, and given to the poor; his charity lives on for ever.[1] 10 He who puts grain into the sower’s hand, and gives us food to eat, will supply you with seed and multiply it, and enrich the harvest of your charity; 11 so that you will have abundant means of every kind for all that generosity which gives proof of our gratitude towards God. 12 The administration, remember, of this public service does more than supply the needs of the saints; it yields, besides, a rich harvest of thanksgiving in the name of the Lord. 13 This administration makes men praise God for the spirit of obedience which you shew in confessing the gospel of Christ, and the generosity which you shew in sharing your goods with these and with all men; 14 and they will intercede, too, on your behalf, as the abundant measure of grace which God bestows on you warms their hearts towards you. 15 Thanks be to God for his unutterable bounty to us. | 1 Nam de ministerio, quod fit in sanctos ex abundanti est mihi scribere vobis. 2 Scio enim promptum animum vestrum: pro quo de vobis glorior apud Macedones. Quoniam et Achaia parata est ab anno præterito, et vestra æmulatio provocavit plurimos. 3 Misi autem fratres: ut ne quod gloriamur de vobis, evacuetur in hac parte, ut (quemadmodum dixi) parati sitis: 4 ne cum venerint Macedones mecum, et invenerint vos imparatos, erubescamus nos (ut non dicamus vos) in hac substantia. 5 Necessarium ergo existimavi rogare fratres, ut præveniant ad vos, et præparent repromissam benedictionem hanc paratam esse sic, quasi benedictionem, non tamquam avaritiam. 6 Hoc autem dico: qui parce seminat, parce et metet: et qui seminat in benedictionibus, de benedictionibus et metet. 7 Unusquisque, prout destinavit in corde suo, non ex tristitia, aut ex necessitate: hilarem enim datorem diligit Deus. 8 Potens est autem Deus omnem gratiam abundare facere in vobis: ut in omnibus semper omnem sufficientiam habentes, abundetis in omne opus bonum, 9 sicut scriptum est: Dispersit, dedit pauperibus: justitia ejus manet in sæculum sæculi. 10 Qui autem administrat semen seminanti: et panem ad manducandum præstabit, et multiplicabit semen vestrum, et augebit incrementa frugum justitiæ vestræ: 11 ut in omnibus locupletati abundetis in omnem simplicitatem, quæ operatur per nos gratiarum actionem Deo. 12 Quoniam ministerium hujus officii non solum supplet ea quæ desunt sanctis, sed etiam abundat per multas gratiarum actiones in Domino, 13 per probationem ministerii hujus, glorificantes Deum in obedientia confessionis vestræ, in Evangelium Christi, et simplicitate communicationis in illos, et in omnes, 14 et in ipsorum obsecratione pro vobis, desiderantium vos propter eminentem gratiam Dei in vobis. 15 Gratias Deo super inenarrabili dono ejus. |
[1] Ps. 111.9. The word rendered ‘charity’ in this and the following verse is literally ‘justice’; i.e. compliance with the Law as laid down in Deut. 15.11 and elsewhere, cf. Mt. 6.1.
Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd