7 Each of you should decide how much you (sg) should give, and then give that amount. You (sg) should not be thinking to yourself, "I really do not want to give this money." And you(sg) should not give just because someone tells you to give. Instead, you should give willingly and cheerfully, because God loves those who give cheerfully.

6 Do not forget this: "A farmer who sows only a few seeds will not gather/reap a large harvest, but the one who sows a lot of seeds will gather/reap a large harvest [MET]." Similarly, if you give just a little to help others, God will give you only a few blessings. But if you give willingly and cheerfully to help people, you will receive in return many blessings from God. 7 Each of you should decide how much you (sg) should give, and then give that amount. You (sg) should not be thinking to yourself, "I really do not want to give this money." And you(sg) should not give just because someone tells you to give. Instead, you should give willingly and cheerfully, because God loves those who give cheerfully. 8 Moreover, God can enable you to give to others cheerfully. If you give that way, God will in return give you many good blessings. He will do that so that at all times you will always have everything that you need. Indeed, you will have even more than you need. As a result, you will be able to do many more good things to help others. 9 Those who give willingly and cheerfully will be rewarded like the man about whom it is written {about whom ◄someone/the Psalmist► wrote} in the Scriptures,

He generously helps others,

he gives to those who are poor.

God will remember the good things that he did,

and reward him with good things forever.

10 God always gives seeds to farmers to plant, and also gives them food to eat. So, similarly, God will always make it possible for you to have enough money [MET], so that you will be able more and more to generously help those who are needy. 11 God will give you many blessings in many different ways as a result of your generously helping others. Furthermore, the generous gift that you are getting ready for us (exc) to take to the believers in Judea province will cause many people to thank God.

12 Also remember that when you give money to [EUP] help God’s people, you not only give them what they need, but also, because of that, many people will thank God very much for you and for what you have done.

10 God always gives seeds to farmers to plant, and also gives them food to eat. So, similarly, God will always make it possible for you to have enough money [MET], so that you will be able more and more to generously help those who are needy.

11 God will give you many blessings in many different ways as a result of your generously helping others. Furthermore, the generous gift that you are getting ready for us (exc) to take to the believers in Judea province will cause many people to thank God.

12 Keep in mind that if you really want to give something to help others, whatever any one of you is able to give will be pleasing to God. God does not expect his people to give more than they can afford to give.

25 Those who give generously to others will prosper;

if you help others, they/someone will help you, too.

24 Some people give their money generously to poor people, but they become richer in spite of that,

and some people hold tightly to their money, but they still become poor in spite of that.

25 Those who give generously to others will prosper;

if you help others, they/someone will help you, too.

9 Honor Yahweh by what you do with your money;

and by giving him the first part of your harvest.

10 If you do that, you will have a good harvest.

Yahweh will fill your barns with grain,

and your vats/containers will be overflowing with grape juice for making wine.

27 If you are able to help people who deserve it,

do not refuse to help them.

13 There are people who refuse to listen when poor people cry out for help;

but some day they themselves will cry out for help, and no one will hear them.

10 Now bring all the tithes to the storage rooms in the temple, in order that there will be enough food for the people who serve me there. If you do that, I, the Commander of the armies of angels, promise that I will open the windows of heaven, and pour out from them blessings on you. If you bring your tithes to the temple, the blessings will be very great, with the result that you will not have enough space to store all of them. So test me to see if I am telling the truth.

11 If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people."

38 Give good things to others, and then God will give good things to you. It will be as though [MET] God is putting things in a basket for you. He will give you a full amount, pressed down in the basket, which he will shake so that he can put more in, and it will spill over the sides! Remember that the way you act toward others will be the way that God will act toward you!"

38 Give good things to others, and then God will give good things to you. It will be as though [MET] God is putting things in a basket for you. He will give you a full amount, pressed down in the basket, which he will shake so that he can put more in, and it will spill over the sides! Remember that the way you act toward others will be the way that God will act toward you!"

30 Give something to everyone who asks you (sg) for something. If someone takes away things that belong to you (sg), do not ask him to return them.

13 Even though you people are evil, you know how to give good things to your children. So your Father in heaven will certainly give good things to those who ask him, including giving the Holy Spirit, who is the best gift."

42 Also, if someone asks you for something, give him what he is asking for. If someone requests you to lend him something, do not refuse to lend it to him."

2 So, whenever you give something to the poor, do not announce it as people announce something that they want other people to know about by playing a fanfare on a trumpet [MET]. That is what the hypocrites do ◄in the synagogues/in the Jewish meeting places► and on the main roads in order that people might see what they do and praise them. Keep this in mind: People praise those hypocrites, but that is the only reward they will receive! 3 Instead of doing as they do, when you give something to the poor, do not let other people know that you are doing that [MET]. 4 In that way, you will be giving to the poor secretly. As a result God, your Father who observes you while no one else sees you, will reward you.

40 I will reply, ‘The truth is that whatever you did for any one of your fellow believers, even an unimportant one, it was as though you did it for me.’

5 If anyone of you does not know how to act wisely in order to endure difficulties/trials well, he should ask God to show him what he should do, because God wholeheartedly/gladly helps all people who ask and does not scold anyone for asking. Those who ask, God will give them wisdom to know what they should do.

15 To illustrate, suppose that fellow believers, either men or women, don’t have enough clothing or food for each day. 16 And suppose that one of you says to them, "May God bless you and supply the clothing and food that you need!" but you (sg) do not give them the things that they need. ◄That would be no help to them!/What help is that to them?► [RHQ] 17 Similarly, those who do not do good things to help others, what they have said about their believing in Christ is as useless [MET] as a dead person is useless. They do not really believe in Christ.

29 He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.

5 Things will go well for those who generously lend money to others

and who conduct their businesses honestly.