Christian Giving
1 Our friends, we want you to know what God's grace has accomplished in the churches in Macedonia. 2 They have been severely tested by the troubles they went through; but their joy was so great that they were extremely generous in their giving, even though they are very poor. 3 I can assure you that they gave as much as they could, and even more than they could. Of their own free will 4 they begged us and pleaded for the privilege of having a part in helping God's people in Judea. 5 It was more than we could have hoped for! First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God's will they gave themselves to us as well. 6 So we urged Titus, who began this work, to continue it and help you complete this special service of love. 7 You are so rich in all you have: in faith, speech, and knowledge, in your eagerness to help and in your love for us. And so we want you to be generous also in this service of love.
8 I am not laying down any rules. But by showing how eager others are to help, I am trying to find out how real your own love is. 9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; rich as he was, he made himself poor for your sake, in order to make you rich by means of his poverty.
10 My opinion is that it is better for you to finish now what you began last year. You were the first, not only to act, but also to be willing to act. 11 On with it, then, and finish the job! Be as eager to finish it as you were to plan it, and do it with what you now have. 12 If you are eager to give, God will accept your gift on the basis of what you have to give, not on what you don't have.
13-14 I am not trying to relieve others by putting a burden on you; but since you have plenty at this time, it is only fair that you should help those who are in need. Then, when you are in need and they have plenty, they will help you. In this way both are treated equally. 15 As the scripture says, “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”
Titus and His Companions
16 How we thank God for making Titus as eager as we are to help you! 17 Not only did he welcome our request; he was so eager to help that of his own free will he decided to go to you. 18 With him we are sending the brother who is highly respected in all the churches for his work in preaching the gospel. 19 And besides that, he has been chosen and appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this service of love for the sake of the Lord's glory and in order to show that we want to help.
20 We are being careful not to stir up any complaints about the way we handle this generous gift. 21 Our purpose is to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of others.
22 So we are sending our brother with them; we have tested him many times and found him always very eager to help. And now that he has so much confidence in you, he is all the more eager to help. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and works with me to help you; as for the other brothers who are going with him, they represent the churches and bring glory to Christ. 24 Show your love to them, so that all the churches will be sure of it and know that we are right in boasting about you.
Omawongero wovimariva kombongo ya Jerusalem
1 Vakwetu, matu vanga kutja mu tjiwe ihi otjari ozombongo mOmakedonie tji za pewa i Ndjambi. 2 Nandarire kutja ozo za rorwa tjinene i omauzeu, enyando razo ra ri enyingi tjinene; nu nandarire kutja ozo za ri ozosyona tjinene, ozo za ri ozondumbe tjinene mokuyandja kwazo nouharupu. 3 Tjiri, me mu raere kutja ozombongo nḓa aaze yandja otja pu maze sora, ii, nandarire komeho ya imba pu maze sora. 4 Nombango yazo ozeni ze riheka ku eṱe nokuriyarikaṋa kutja ze kare norupa motjiungura tjokuvatera ovakambure mehi ra Judea. 5 Ihi tja ri okukapita imba pu twa ri amatu undju! Rutenga ozo ze riyandja ozeni ku Muhona; nu tjazumba otja kombango ya Ndjambi aze riyandja ozeni ku eṱe wina. 6 Opu twa zokuningira Titus kutja a yenenise otjiungura tjorusuvero hi, eye tja utire rukuru mokati keṋu. 7 Eṋe vari mu na avihe okukapita tjinene komeho: Ongamburiro nomambo nondjiviro nonḓero okuvatera norusuvero ndu mu na rwo na eṱe. Eṱe otji matu vanga kutja mu kare nouharupu motjiungura tjorusuvero hi.
8 Hi nokuyandja omarakiza ku eṋe; nungwari me mu raisire onḓero yovakweṋu yokuvatera kokutja mbi rorere po kutja orusuvero rweṋu oruatjiri. 9 Eṋe mamu tjiwa otjari tja Muhona wetu Jesus Kristus: Nandarire kutja eye wa ri omutumbe, we risyonaparisira eṋe, kokutja mu tumbisiwe i ousyona we.
10 Ami me mu rongo kutja okokuwa ku eṋe okumana nambano imbi mbi mwa uta ombura ndji ndja zu ko; eṋe mwa ri ovatenga, nu kako ngwi okutjita porwako, nungwari wina okongwi okuvanga okutjita. 11 Nambano nyinganyingeye nu mu mane ihi otjiungura. Kareye nonḓero okutjimana otja tji mwa ri na yo, indu tji mwe tji tyere, nu mu tji yenenise na imbi mbi mu na vyo nambano. 12 Atjihe tji mo yandja nouharupu, Ndjambi me tji yakura. Nu o yandja otja ku imbi mbi u hi na vyo nungwari yandja otja ku imbi mbi u na vyo. 13 Ami hi nakutwa ko omutwaro kombanda yeṋu, kokutja ovandu varwe ve mwine po ombatero; nungwari kokutja pe kare omutwaro mbu ṱeki pamwe, 14 eṋe nambano mbu mu na ovingi mu sokuvatera imba mbe nouhepe. Nu owo wina tji ve novingi, neṋe tji mwa hepa, ve sore okumuvatera. Komuhingo mbwi amuhe otji mamu ṱunwa pu pe ṱeki pamwe. 15 Otja tjinga apa tjangwa momatjangwa:
“Ingwi ngwa wongere ovingi,
ka ri novingi okukapita;
nu ingwi ngwa wongere ouṱiṱi,
ka ri nouṱiṱi tjinene.”
Titus novemuvatere
16 Eṱe matu tja okuhepa ku Ndjambi kutja wa yandja onḓero tjingewo ndji eṱe ndji tu na yo ku Titus okuvatera eṋe! 17 Eye ka yakurire omaningiriro wetu porwe, nungwari eye wa ri nonḓero onene tjinene okuvatera, nu eye wina wa ya ku eṋe nombango ye omuini. 18 Nu puna ye matu hindi omukwetu ngu tangwa mozombongo azehe motjimbe tjotjiungura tje tjokuzuvarisa Ombuze Ombwa. 19 Nu katjoho otjini porwe, nungwari omukwetu ngwi wina wa toororwa i ozombongo okuyenda puna eṱe, tji matu kaungura otjiungura tjorusuvero ihi tji twa tanda. Eṱe tu tji ungurira ondjozikiro ya Muhona notja otjiraisiro tjokutja tu nombango okuvatera.
20 Komuhingo mbwi eṱe tu paha okutjaera kutja ape ha ningi omundu ngu me ripurire ko kutja oweṱe ovanavineya motjimariva otjingi nai tji tu sokutwara. 21 Onḓero yetu okongwi okutjita ihi tji tji ri otjisemba, nu kakomurungu wa Muhona porwe, nungwari wina komurungu wovandu.
22 Nu puna wo eṱe matu hindi omukwetu warwe. Eṱe twe mu rora potuingi na momiano omingi, narire tji twa munu kutja eye aruhe u kara nonḓero okuvatera. Nu nambano eye u nonḓero tjinene komeho, tjinga e nouṱakame tjinene mu eṋe. 23 Nu Titus tje ri nai, eye omukwetu omuungure wapamwe na ami okumuvatera. Nu imba ovakwetu ovakwao vevari mbu mave i puna ye, owo ovahindwa vozombongo, nu ve etera Kristus ondjozikiro. 24 Raiseye orusuvero rweṋu ku wo, kokutja ozombongo azehe ze ru mune nu ze tjiwe kutja tu ri osemba, tji matu rihivire eṋe.
