I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.

我说这话，不是吩咐你们，乃是藉着别人的热心试验你们爱心的实在。

我说这话，并不是命令你们，而是藉着别人的热忱来考验你们爱心的真诚。

我说这话，并不是命令你们，而是藉着别人的热忱来考验你们爱心的真诚。

我说这话并非命令你们，而是借着别人的热心考验一下你们爱心的真伪。

我这样说，不是吩咐你们，而是藉着别人的热心来考验你们的爱心是否真实。

我说这话不是出于命令，而是要藉着别人的殷勤来考验你们爱的真诚，

我說這話，不是吩咐你們，乃是藉着別人的熱心試驗你們愛心的實在。

我說這話，並不是命令你們，而是藉着別人的熱忱來考驗你們愛心的真誠。

我說這話，並不是命令你們，而是藉着別人的熱忱來考驗你們愛心的真誠。

我說這話並非命令你們，而是藉著別人的熱心考驗一下你們愛心的真偽。

我這樣說，不是吩咐你們，而是藉著別人的熱心來考驗你們的愛心是否真實。

我這不是當命令說的，我乃是要藉着別人的熱切來試驗你們的愛心是不是真的罷了。

我說這話不是出於命令，而是要藉著別人的殷勤來考驗你們愛的真誠，

我言此、非命爾、乃藉他人之懃懇、驗爾仁愛之實、

吾非以此命爾、乃因他人殷勤、欲試爾仁愛之實、

我言此、非命爾、乃因他人之殷勤、欲試爾仁愛之實、

吾作此言、非命令也、乃欲藉他人之熱情、一測爾等愛德之深淺耳。

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

I am not commanding you to do it. But I want to test you. I want to find out if you really love God. I want to compare your love with that of others.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.

I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

I am not saying this as a command, but as proving, through the earnestness of others, the sincerity of your love as well.

I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.

I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others.

I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.

I say this as a concession, not as a command.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.“ For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,and you say,“ Good bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”— but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this,for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.

So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money.

Now regarding your question about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his mercy has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you.

May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.

Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.

For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.

So show them your love, and prove to all the churches that our boasting about you is justified.

Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it.

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.

“ So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone.