But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you.

但我打发那几位弟兄去，要叫你们照我的话预备妥当，免得我们在这事上夸奖你们的话落了空。

但我差遣那几位弟兄去，要使你们照我的话预备妥当，免得我们在这事上夸奖你们的话落了空。

但我差遣那几位弟兄去，要使你们照我的话预备妥当，免得我们在这事上夸奖你们的话落了空。

现在我先派这几位弟兄到你们那里，以便你们把捐款预备好，正如我所说的那样，免得我们在这件事上夸耀你们的话成了虚言。

我派了那几位弟兄前来，为了要使我们在这事上对你们的称赞不至落空，好让你们可以照着我所说的准备妥当，

不过我派这些弟兄去，是为了我们在这方面对你们的夸耀不至于落空，好让你们能照着我所说的准备好；

但我打發那幾位弟兄去，要叫你們照我的話預備妥當，免得我們在這事上誇獎你們的話落了空。

但我差遣那幾位弟兄去，要使你們照我的話預備妥當，免得我們在這事上誇獎你們的話落了空。

但我差遣那幾位弟兄去，要使你們照我的話預備妥當，免得我們在這事上誇獎你們的話落了空。

現在我先派這幾位弟兄到你們那裡，以便你們把捐款預備好，正如我所說的那樣，免得我們在這件事上誇耀你們的話成了虛言。

我派了那幾位弟兄前來，為了要使我們在這事上對你們的稱讚不至落空，好讓你們可以照著我所說的準備妥當，

不過我還打發那幾位弟兄去，好叫我們在這方面所誇獎你們的不至於落了空，好叫你們照我屢次所說的豫備好了。

不過我派這些弟兄去，是為了我們在這方面對你們的誇耀不至於落空，好讓你們能照著我所說的準備好；

今我遣兄弟、使爾有備、如我所言、免我為爾之誇歸於虛也、

吾遣兄弟、使爾有備、如余所言、恐吾讚爾之言、或歸於虛、

我遣兄弟、欲使爾有備、如我所言、免我於此事為爾所誇者歸於空虛、

吾今之所以先派兄弟者、亦欲爾等有備、庶幾吾所誇獎爾等之事、不成子虛烏有；

But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.

But I am sending the brothers. Then our bragging about you in this matter will have a good reason. You will be ready, just as I said you would be.

But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be.

But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter would not prove empty, and so that you would be ready just as I said.

But I have sent the brothers, in order that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this case, so that, as I was saying, you will be prepared;

Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready;

But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared:

But I sent the brothers so our boasting about you in the matter would not prove empty, and so you would be prepared just as I said.

Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:

But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.

But I have sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared,

So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving.

Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia.On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem.And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

I had told him how proud I was of you— and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true!

Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you.We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News.He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem— a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift.We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.We are also sending with them another of our brothers who has proven himself many times and has shown on many occasions how eager he is. He is now even more enthusiastic because of his great confidence in you.If anyone asks about Titus, say that he is my partner who works with me to help you. And the brothers with him have been sent by the churches, and they bring honor to Christ.So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.

Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good.

We would be embarrassed— not to mention your own embarrassment— if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them!So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.