Generosity Commended

¹Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.

²In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.

³For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,

⁴they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

⁵And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, through the will of God.

⁶So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.

⁷But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

⁸I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love through the earnestness of others.

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

¹⁰And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.

¹¹Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means.

¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

¹³It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.

¹⁴At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. This way there will be equality.

¹⁵As it is written:“He who gathered much had no excess,and he who gathered little had no shortfall.”

Titus Commended

¹⁶But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.

¹⁷For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition.

¹⁸Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel.

¹⁹More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the gracious offeringwe administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.

²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.

²¹For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

²²And we are sending along with them our brother who has proven his earnestness to us many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you.

²³As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengersof the churches, the glory of Christ.

²⁴In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.

The Woman and the Dragon

¹And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.

²She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

³Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.

⁴His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, hurling them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.

⁵And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

⁶And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

The War in Heaven

⁷Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

⁸But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels.

⁹And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:“Now have come the salvation and the powerand the kingdom of our God,and the authority of His Christ.For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God.

¹¹They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamband by the word of their testimony.And they did not love their livesso as to shy away from death.

¹²Therefore rejoice, O heavens,and you who dwell in them!But woe to the earth and the sea;with great fury the devil has come down to you,knowing he has only a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

¹³And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

¹⁴But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

¹⁵Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river to overtake the woman and sweep her away in the torrent.

¹⁶But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow up the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.

¹⁷And the dragon was enraged at the woman and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

Reaffirm Your Love

¹So I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.

²For if I grieve you, who is left to cheer me but those whom I have grieved?

³I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be grieved by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

⁴For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.

⁵Now if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me but all of you—to some degree, not to overstate it.

⁶The punishment imposed on him by the majority is sufficient for him.

⁷So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

⁸Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.

⁹My purpose in writing you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.

¹⁰If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,

¹¹in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Triumph in Christ

¹²Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,

¹³I had no peace in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.

¹⁵For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

¹⁶To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life.And who is qualified for such a task?

¹⁷For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.

Dishonest Scales

¹Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,but an accurate weight is His delight.

²When pride comes, disgrace follows,but with humility comes wisdom.

³The integrity of the upright guides them,but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

⁴Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

⁵The righteousness of the blameless directs their path,but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.

⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them,but the faithless are trapped by their own desires.

⁷When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes,and the hope of his strength vanishes.

⁸The righteous man is delivered from trouble;in his place the wicked man goes in.

⁹With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

¹⁰When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices,and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

¹¹By the blessing of the upright a city is built up,but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

¹²Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment,but a man of understanding remains silent.

¹³A gossip reveals a secret,but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

¹⁴For lack of guidance, a nation falls,but with many counselors comes deliverance.

¹⁵He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.

¹⁶A gracious woman attains honor,but ruthless men gain only wealth.

¹⁷A kind man benefits himself,but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

¹⁸The wicked man earns an empty wage,but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

¹⁹Genuine righteousness leads to life,but the pursuit of evil brings death.

²⁰The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD,but the blameless in their walk are His delight.

²¹Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

²²Like a gold ring in a pig’s snoutis a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

²³The desire of the righteous leads only to good,but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.

²⁴One gives freely, yet gains even more;another withholds what is right, only to become poor.

²⁵A generous soul will prosper,and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

²⁶The people will curse the hoarder of grain,but blessing will crown the one who sells it.

²⁷He who searches out good finds favor,but evil will come to him who seeks it.

²⁸He who trusts in his riches will fall,but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

²⁹He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind,and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,and he who wins souls is wise.

³¹If the righteous receive their due on earth,how much more the ungodly and the sinner!