009:003 Still I send the brethren in order that in this matter our
boast about you may not turn out to have been an idle one;
so that, as I have said, you may be ready;
009:004 for fear that, if any Macedonians come with me and find
you unprepared, we--not to say you yourselves--should be put
to the blush in respect to this confidence.
009:005 I have thought it absolutely necessary therefore to request
these brethren to visit you before I myself come, and to make
sure beforehand that the gift of love which you have already
promised may be ready as a gift of love, and may not seem
to have been something which I have extorted from you.
009:006 But do not forget that he who sows with a niggardly hand will
also reap a niggardly crop, and that he who sows bountifully
will also reap bountifully.
009:007 Let each contribute what he has decided upon in his own mind,
and not do it reluctantly or under compulsion.
"It is a cheerful giver that God loves."
009:008 And God is able to bestow every blessing on you in abundance,
so that richly enjoying all sufficiency at all times,
you may have ample means for all good works.
009:009 As it is written, "He has scattered abroad, he has given
to the poor, his almsgiving remains for ever."
009:010 And God who continually supplies seed for the sower and bread
for eating, will supply you with seed and multiply it,
and will cause your almsgiving to yield a plentiful harvest.
009:011 May you be abundantly enriched so as to show all liberality,
such as through our instrumentality brings thanksgiving to God.
009:012 For the service rendered in this sacred gift not only helps
to relieve the wants of God's people, but it is also rich
in its results and awakens a chorus of thanksgiving to God.