2 Corinthians 8
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace of God that has been bestowed upon the congregations of Macedonia,
Priopćujemo vam, braćo, milost Božju koja je dana crkvama makedonskim:
2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty produced their extravagant, sincere generosity.
unatoč mnogim kušnjama i nevoljama izobilna njihova radost i skrajnje siromaštvo preli se u bogatstvo darežljivosti.
3 Because according to their ability, I bear witness, even beyond that ability, of their own accord,
Svjedočim uistinu: oni su nas dragovoljno - po svojim mogućnostima i preko mogućnosti -
4 they begged us with much entreaty to receive the gift, the sharing in the ministry to the saints
veoma usrdno molili za milost zajedništva u ovom posluživanju svetih.
5 —and more than we had hoped, they first gave themselves to the Lord (and due to God's will, to us).
I to ne samo kako se nadasmo, nego same sebe predadoše najprvo Gospodinu, a onda nama, po volji Božjoj.
6 So we urged Titus that as he had made a beginning so he should also bring to completion in you this grace as well;
Zato zamolismo Tita da kao što je započeo, tako i dovrši među vama i to djelo darežljivosti.
7 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.
Stoga kao što se u svemu odlikujete - u vjeri, i riječi, i spoznanju, i svakoj gorljivosti, i u ljubavi svojoj prema nama - odlikujte se i u ovoj darežljivosti.
8 I am not giving a command, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.
Ne zapovijedam, nego gorljivošću drugih prokušavam istinitost vaše ljubavi.
9 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.
Ta poznate darežljivost Gospodina našega Isusa Krista! Premda bogat, radi vas posta siromašan, da se vi njegovim siromaštvom obogatite.
10 So here is my advice in this (since already a year ago you began to give and to plan, this is to your advantage):
Time dajem samo savjet: to doista dolikuje vama koji već prošle godine prvi to započeste, ne samo činom nego i odlukom.
11 now you must really finish the doing—not only of the enthusiastic planning but also of the completing—out of what you have
Sada dovršite to djelo da kao što spremno odlučiste, tako prema mogućnostima i dovršite.
12 (because when the intention is presented, it is acceptable according to what one may have, not what he does not have).
Jer ima li spremnosti, mila je po onom što ima, a ne po onom čega nema.
13 Now this is not to distress you so as to relieve others,
Ne dakako: drugima olakšica, vama oskudica, nego - jednakost!
14 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;
U sadašnjem trenutku vaš suvišak za njihovu oskudicu da jednom njihov suvišak bude za vašu oskudicu - te bude jednakost,
15 as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”
kao što je pisano: Nije ništa preteklo onome koji bijaše nakupio mnogo, a niti je nedostajalo onome koji bijaše nakupio manje.
16 Now thanks be to God who puts the same earnest care for you in the heart of Titus;
A hvala Bogu koji je stavio jednaku gorljivost za vas u srce Titovo.
17 because he not only welcomed my appeal but being very diligent he went to you of his own accord.
On je prihvatio i molbu, ali budući da je veoma revan, otiđe k vama i dragovoljno.
18 But we have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Gospel is throughout all the congregations;
S njime pak šaljemo brata kojega s evanđelja slave sve crkve.
19 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,
Štoviše, crkve ga izabraše za našeg suputnika u ovom djelu darežljivosti kojemu služimo - na slavu samoga Gospodina i na našu želju
20 avoiding any criticism about how we are handling this abundance;
kako bismo izbjegli da nas tko ne prekori zbog ovog obilja kojim raspolažemo.
21 giving thought to blamelessness, not only before the Lord but also before men.
Doista, revno nastojimo oko dobra ne samo pred Gospodinom nego i pred ljudima.
22 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.
Šaljemo s njima i našega brata koji je, kako smo u mnogome često iskusili, gorljiv, a sada je još mnogo gorljiviji zbog velikoga pouzdanja u vas.
23 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.
A Tito? Moj je drug i suradnik za vas. A braća naša? Poslanici su crkava, slava Kristova.
24 Therefore show the proof of your love (and of our boasting about you) to them as representatives of the congregations.
Pružite im dakle pred crkvama dokaz svoje ljubavi i toga da se s pravom vama ponosimo.
