2 Koriniti 8

1 Na, he whakarite atu tenei na matou ki a koutou, e oku teina, i te aroha noa o te Atua kua homai nei ki nga hahi o Makeronia;

We want to remind you, friends, of the love that God has shown to the churches in Macedonia –

2 Ahakoa he nui te whakamatautauranga a nga mate, whakaputaina nuitia ana mai e te nui o to ratou koa, i roto i to ratou tino rawakoretanga, nga tahua o ta ratou manaaki.

How, tired though they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness, and even their deep poverty, resulted in a flood of generosity.

3 Ko ahau hei kaiwhakaatu, hihiko tonu ratou ki te tapae i nga mea i taea e ratou, ae ra, i nga mea ano kihai i taea e ratou;

I can bear witness that to the full extent of their power, and even beyond their power, spontaneously,

4 Me te nui o ta ratou tohe ki a matou, kia manako matou ki tenei aroha noa, kia uru tahi hoki ki te mahi ki te hunga tapu:

and with many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their love, and contributed their share towards the fund for their fellow Christians.

5 Kihai hoki ratou i pera me ta matou i whakaaro ai, engari i te tuatahi tuku ana ratou i a ratou ano ki te Ariki, ki a matou hoki i runga i ta te Atua i pai ai.

And that, not only in the way we had expected; but first they gave themselves to the Lord, and to us also, in accordance with God’s will.

6 Koia matou i whakahau ai i a Taituha, nana hoki tena mahi i timata, mana ano e whakaoti tenei aroha noa hoki i roto i a koutou.

And this led us to beg Titus, that since he had started the work for you, he should also see to the completion of this expression of your love.

7 Na, e hua na i a koutou nga mea katoa, te whakapono, te whai kupu, te matauranga, te whakaaro hohonu, me to koutou aroha ano ki a matou, kia hua ano hoki tenei mahi aroha noa a koutou.

And, remembering how you excel in everything – in faith, in teaching, in knowledge, in unfailing earnestness, and in the affection that we have awakened in you – I ask you to excel also in this expression of your love.

8 Ehara taku i te korero a ture, engari he mea i te kakama o era atu, hei whakamatautau ano i te pono o to koutou aroha.

I am not laying a command on you, but I am making use of the earnestness shown by others to test the genuineness of your affection.

9 E matau ana hoki koutou ki te aroha noa o to tatou Ariki, o Ihu Karaiti, ara i a ia e whai taonga ana, whakarawakoretia iho ana ia, he whakaaro ki a koutou, kia whai taonga ai koutou i tona rawakoretanga.

For you do not forget the loving kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ – how that for your sakes, although he was rich, he became poor, so that you also might become rich through his poverty.

10 A ka hoatu nei ahau i toku whakaaro mo tenei: he mea pai hoki tenei mo koutou, ko koutou na te tuatahi ki te timata i tera tau, ehara i te mea ko te mahi anake, engari ko te hiahia ano hoki.

I am only making suggestions on this matter; for this is the best course for you, since you were a year before others, not only in taking action, but also in showing your readiness to do so.

11 Na inaianei whakaotia hoki te mahi; i hihiko na te whakaaro i mua, kia whai otinga hoki i roto i to koutou kaha.

And now I want you to complete the work, so that its completion may correspond with your willing readiness – in proportion, of course, to your means.

12 Ki te mea hoki kei kona te ngakau hihiko, ka whakaaroa ko nga mea i te tangata, haunga nga mea kahore i a ia.

For, where there is willingness, a person’s gift is valued by its comparison with what they have, and not with what they do not have.

13 Ehara taku korero i tenei, kia mama ai etahi, a ko koutou kia taimaha;

For our object is not to give relief to others and bring distress on you. It is a matter of a fair balance.

14 Engari kia taurite; ko nga mea a koutou i hira i tenei wa hei mea mo to ratou hapa, a ko nga mea a ratou e hira hei mea ma koutou ina hapa; kia rite ai:

On this occasion what you can spare will supply what they need, at another time what they can spare may supply your need, and so things will be equal.

15 Kia pera me te mea i tuhituhia, Ko te tangata i nui tana whakaemi kahore he tuhene; ko te tangata i nohinohi tana kihai i hapa.

As scripture says – “Those who had much had nothing over, and those who had little did not lack!”

16 Otiia me whakawhetai atu ki te, Atua, nana nei i homai ki roto ki te ngakau o Taituha taua kakama mo koutou.

I thank God for inspiring Titus with the same keen interest in your welfare that I have;

17 I tahuri mai hoki ia ki ta matou whakahau; he nui no tona kakama i hihiko ai ia ki te haere atu ki a koutou.

for Titus has responded to my appeals and, in his great earnestness, is starting to go to you of his own accord.

18 A na matou i tono tahi atu me ia te teina, ka paku nei ki nga hahi katoa te whakamoemiti ki a ia i roto i te rongopai;

We are sending with him one of the Lord’s followers whose fame in the service of the good news has spread through all the churches;

19 A ehara i te mea ko tera anake, engari i whiriwhiria ano hoki ia hei hoa haere mo matou, ki te kawe i tenei aroha noa e mahia nei e matou hei whakakororia mo te Ariki, hei whakakite hoki i to matou hihiko:

and not only that, but he has been elected by the churches to accompany us on our journey, in connexion with this expression of your love, which we are personally administering to the honour of the Lord, and to show our deep interest.

20 Me te tupato ano, kei whai kupu tetahi tangata ki a matou mo enei taonga maha e whakahaerea nei e matou:

What we are specially guarding against is that any fault should be found with us in regard to our administration of this charitable fund;

21 E whakaaro ana hoki matou ki nga mea rangatira, ehara i te mea i te aroaro anake o te Ariki, engari i te aroaro ano o nga tangata.

for we are trying to make arrangements which will be right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of people.

22 A kua tonoa atu ano e matou hei hoa mo raua to matou teina, kua maha nei o matou kitenga i tona uaua i nga mea maha, heoi nui ke atu tona uaua inaianei, na te nui o te u o tona whakaaro ki a koutou.

We are also sending with them another of our friends, whose earnestness we have many a time proved in many ways, and whom we now find made even more earnest by his great confidence in you.

23 Ki te ui tetahi mo Taituha, ko ia toku hoa, he hoa mahi noku ki a koutou: ki te ui ranei mo o matou teina, he karere ratou na nga hahi, he kororia no te Karaiti.

If I must say anything about Titus, he is my intimate companion, and he shares my work for you; if it is our friends, they are delegates of the churches, an honour to Christ.

24 Na, whakakitea e koutou ki a ratou i te aroaro o nga hahi te tohu o to koutou aroha, o ta matou whakamanamana hoki mo koutou.

Show them, therefore – so that the churches may see it – the proof of your affection, and the ground for our boasting to them about you.