2 Wakorintho 8
1 Tunawataka ninyi mjue, kaka na dada, kuhusu neema ya Mungu ambayo imetolewa kwa makanisa ya Makedonia.
We want to remind you, friends, of the love that God has shown to the churches in Macedonia –
2 Wakati wa jaribu kubwa la mateso, wingi wa furaha yao na ongezeko la umaskini wao umezaa utjiri mkubwa wa ukarimu.
How, tired though they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness, and even their deep poverty, resulted in a flood of generosity.
3 Kwa maana nashuhudia kwamba walitoa kwa kadiri ya walivyoweza, na hata zaidi ya walivyoweza.
I can bear witness that to the full extent of their power, and even beyond their power, spontaneously,
4 Na kwa hiari yao wenyewe kwa kutusihi kwingi, walituomba kwa ajili ya kushiriki katika huduma hii kwa waumini.
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 Hii haikutokea kama tulivyokuwa tunatarajia. Badala yake, kwanza walijitoa wao wenyewe kwa Bwana. Kisha wakajitoa wao wenyewe kwetu kwa mapenzi ya Mungu.
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 Hivyo tulimsihi Tito, aliyekuwa tayari ameanzisha kazi hii, kuleta katika utimilifu tendo hili la ukarimu juu yenu.
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 Lakini ninyi mna wingi katika kila kitu- katika imani, katika usemi, katika maarifa, katika bidii, na katika upendo wenu kwa ajili yetu. Hivyo hakikisheni kwamba ninyi mnakuwa na wingi pia katika tendo hili la ukarimu.
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 Nasema hili si kama amri. Badala yake, nasema hili ili kupima uhalisi wa upendo wenu kwa kuulinganisha na shauku ya watu wengine.
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 Kwa maana mnajua neema ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo. Hata kama alikuwa tajiri, kwa ajili yenu alikuwa maskini. Ili kwamba kupitia umaskini wake mweze kuwa tajiri.
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 Katika jambo hili nitawapa ushauri ambao utawasaidia. Mwaka mmoja uliopita, hamkuanza tuu kufanya jambo. Lakini mlitamani kulifanya.
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 Sasa likamilisheni. Kama tu kulivyokuwa na shauku na nia ya kulifanya, kisha, je, mngeweza pia kulileta katika ukamilifu, kwa kadri ya mnavyoweza.
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 Kwa kuwa mnashauku ya kufanya tendo hili, ni jambo zuri na linakubalika. Lazima lisimame juu ya kile alichonacho mtu, siyo juu ya asichokuwa nacho mtu.
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 Kwa kuwa kazi hii siyo kwa ajili kwamba wengine waweze kupata nafuu na ninyi mweze kulemewa. Badala yake, kuwe na usawa.
For our object is not to give relief to others and bring distress on you. It is a matter of a fair balance.
14 Wingi wenu wa wakati wa sasa utasaidia kwa kile wanachohitaji. Hii ni hivyo pia ili kwamba wingi wao uweze kusaidia mahitaji yenu, na kwamba kuwe na usawa.
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 Hii ni kama ilivyoandikwa; “Yeye aliye na vingi hakuwa na kitu chochote kilichobaki na yeye aliyekuwa na kidogo hakuwa na uhitaji wowote.”
As scripture says – ‘Those who had much had nothing over, and those who had little did not lack!’
16 Lakini ashukuriwe Mungu, aliyeweka ndani ya moyo wa Tito moyo uleule wa bidii ya kujali ambyo ninayo kwa ajili yenu.
I thank God for inspiring Titus with the same keen interest in your welfare that I have;
17 Kwa kuwa si tu alipokea maombi yetu, bali pia alikuwa na bidii kuhusiana na maombi hayo. Alikuja kwenu kwa hiari yake mwenyewe.
for Titus has responded to my appeals and, in his great earnestness, is starting to go to you of his own accord.
18 Tumemtuma pamoja naye ndugu ambaye anasifiwa miongoni mwa makanisa kwa ajili ya kazi yake katika kutangaza injili.
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 Si hivi tu, lakini pia alichaguliwa na makanisa kusafiri nasisi katika kulibeba sehemu mbalimbali tendo hili la ukarimu. Hii ni kwa utukufu wa Bwana mwenyewe na kwa shauku yetu ya kusaidia.
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 honor of the Lord, and to show our deep interest.
20 Tunaepuka uwezekano kwamba yeyote napaswa kulalamika kuhusiana na sisi kuhusiana na ukarimu huu ambao tunaubeba.
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 Tunachukua uangalifu kufanya kilicho cha heshima, sio tu mbele za Bwana, lakini pia mbele za watu.
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 Pia tunamtuma ndugu mwingine pamoja nao. Tumempima mara nyingi, na tumemwona ni mwenye shauku for ajili ya kazi nyingi. Hata sasa ana bidii zaidi kwa sababu ya ujasiri mkubwa alionao ndani yenu.
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 Kwa habari ya Tito, yeye ni mshirika mwenza wangu na mtendakazi mwenzangu kwa ajili yenu. Kama kwa ndugu zetu, wanatumwa na makanisa. Ni waheshima kwa Kristo.
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 honor to Christ.
24 Hivyo, waonesheni upendo wenu, na muoneshe kwa makanisa sababu ya majivuno yetu kwa ajili yenu.
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.
