2 Korinterne 8
1 Men vi kundgøre eder, Brødre! den Guds Nåde, som er given i Makedoniens Menigheder,
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that has been bestowed upon the congregations of Macedonia,
2 at under megen Trængsels Prøvelse har deres overstrømmende Glæde og deres dybe Fattigdom strømmet over i deres Gavmildheds Rigdom.
that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty produced their extravagant, sincere generosity.
3 Thi efter Evne (det vidner jeg) gave de, ja, over Evne af egen Drift,
Because according to their ability, I bear witness, even beyond that ability, of their own accord,
4 idet de med megen Overtalelse bade os om den Nåde at måtte tage Del i Hjælpen til de hellige,
they begged us with much entreaty to receive the gift, the sharing in the ministry to the saints
5 og ikke alene som vi havde håbet, men sig selv gav de først og fremmest til Herren og så til os, ved Guds Villie,
—and more than we had hoped, they first gave themselves to the Lord (and due to God's will, to us).
6 så at vi opfordrede Titus til, ligesom han forhen havde begyndt, således også til at tilendebringe hos eder også denne Gave.
So we urged Titus that as he had made a beginning so he should also bring to completion in you this grace as well;
7 Men ligesom I ere rige i alt, i Tro og Tale og Erkendelse og al Iver og i eders Kærlighed til os: måtte I da være rige også i denne Gave!
that as you excel in everything—in faith, in word, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—that you excel in this grace too.
8 Jeg siger det ikke som en Befaling, men for ved andres Iver at prøve også eders Kærligheds Ægthed.
I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
9 I kende jo vor Herres Jesu Kristi Nåde, at han for eders Skyld blev fattig, da han var rig, for at I ved hans Fattigdom skulde blive rige.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
10 Og jeg giver min Mening herom til Kende; thi dette er eder gavnligt, I, som jo i Fjor vare de første til at begynde, ikke alene med Gerningen, men endogså med Villien dertil.
So here is my advice in this (since already a year ago you began to give and to plan, this is to your advantage):
11 Men fuldbringer da nu også Gerningen, for at, ligesom I vare redebonne til at ville, I også må fuldbringe det efter eders Evne.
now you must really finish the doing—not only of the enthusiastic planning but also of the completing—out of what you have
12 Thi når Redebonheden er til Stede, da er den velbehagelig efter, hvad den evner, ikke efter, hvad den ikke evner.
(because when the intention is presented, it is acceptable according to what one may have, not what he does not have).
13 Det er nemlig ikke Meningen, at andre skulle have Lettelse og I Trængsel; nej, det skal være ligeligt. Nu for Tiden må eders Overflod komme hines Trang til Hjælp,
Now this is not to distress you so as to relieve others,
14 for at også hines Overflod kan komme eders Trang til Hjælp, for at der kan blive Ligelighed,
but by way of balance—at this juncture your surplus alleviates their lack, so that later their surplus may alleviate your lack—yes, that there be balance;
15 som der er skrevet: "Den, som sankede meget, fik ikke for meget, og den, som sankede lidet, fik ikke for lidt."
as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
16 Men Gud ske Tak, som giver den samme Iver for eder i Titus's Hjerte!
Now thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you in the heart of Titus;
17 Thi vel har han modtaget min Opfordring; men da han er så ivrig, så er det af egen Drift, at han rejser til eder.
because he not only welcomed my appeal but being very diligent he went to you of his own accord.
18 Og sammen med ham sende vi den Broder, hvis Ros i Evangeliet går igennem alle Menighederne,
But we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Gospel is throughout all the congregations;
19 og ikke det alene, men han er også udvalgt af Menighederne til at rejse med os med denne Gave, som besørges af os, for at fremme selve Herrens Ære og vor Redebonhed,
and not only that—he was actually chosen by the congregations as our traveling companion with this gift, that is being administered by us with a view to the glory of the Lord Himself, and to our own goodwill,
20 idet vi undgå dette, at nogen skulde kunne laste os i Anledning af denne rige Hjælp, som besørges af os;
avoiding any criticism about how we are handling this abundance;
21 thi vi lægge Vind på, hvad der er godt ikke alene i Herrens, men også i Menneskers Øjne.
giving thought to blamelessness, not only before the Lord but also before men.
22 Men sammen med dem sende vi vor Broder, hvis Iver vi ofte i mange Måder have prøvet, men som nu er langt ivrigere på Grund af sin støre Tillid til eder.
Further, we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved to be diligent in many things, but now much more so, because of our great confidence in you.
23 Hvad Titus angår, da er han min Fælle og Medarbejder hos eder, og hvad vore Brødre angår, da ere de Menighedsudsendinge, Kristi Ære.
As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker toward you; as for our brothers, they are envoys of the congregations, a glory of Christ.
24 Så giver dem da for Menighedernes Åsyn Beviset på eders Kærlighed og for det, vi have rost eder for.
Therefore show the proof of your love (and of our boasting about you) to them as representatives of the congregations.
