Help for Fellow Christians

9 I really do not need to write you about this ·help [service; ministry] for ·God’s people [^Tthe saints]. ² [^LFor; Because] I know ·you want [your eagerness/willingness] to help. I have been ·bragging [boasting] about this to the ·believers in Macedonia [^LMacedonians; 8:1], telling them that you in Achaia [^Csouthern Greece; 1:1] have been ready to give since last year. And your ·desire to give [^Lzeal; enthusiasm] has ·made most of them ready to give also [^Laroused/provoked the majority]. ³ But I am sending the brothers to you so that our ·bragging [boasting] about you in this matter will not be empty words. I want you to be ready, as I said you would be. ⁴ If any of the ·believers from Macedonia [^LMacedonians] come with me and find that you are not ready, we will be ·ashamed [embarrassed; dishonored] that we were so sure of you. (And you will be ·ashamed [embarrassed; dishonored], too!) ⁵ So I thought I should ·ask [urge; encourage] these brothers to go to you before we do. They will finish getting in order the ·generous gift [blessing] you promised so it will be ready when we come. And it will be a ·generous gift [blessing]—not one ·that you did not want to give [required from you; grudgingly given].

⁶ Remember this: The person who ·plants a little [sows sparingly] will ·have a small harvest [also reap sparingly], but the person who ·plants a lot [sows generously/bountifully] will ·have a big harvest [also reap generously/bountifully]. ⁷ Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not ·be sad when you give [or give reluctantly], and you should not give ·because you feel forced to give [out of compulsion]. [^LFor] God loves the person who gives ·happily [cheerfully]. ⁸ And God can ·give you more blessings than you need [^Loverflow/abound all grace to you]. Then ·you will always have plenty of everything [^Lin all things at all times you will have all you need]— ·enough to give to [abounding/overflowing in] every good work. ⁹ [^LJust as] It is written in the Scriptures:

¹⁰ [^LFor] God is the One who gives seed to the farmer and bread for food. He will ·give you all the seed you need and make it grow [^Lsupply and multiply your seed] so there will be a great harvest ·from your goodness [of your righteousness]. ¹¹ He will make you rich in every way so that you can always give ·freely [generously]. And your giving through us will ·cause many to give thanks [^Lproduce thanksgiving] to God. ¹² This ·service you do [^Lministry of service] not only helps the needs of ·God’s people [^Tthe saints], it also brings many more thanks to God. ¹³ It is a proof of your faith. Many people will ·praise [glorify] God because you ·obey [submit to] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ—the gospel you ·say you believe [confess]—and because you ·freely [generously] share with them and with all others. ¹⁴ And when they pray for you, they will ·wish they could be with [^Llong for] you because of the great grace that God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his ·gift that is too wonderful for words [indescribable/inexpressible gift].