コリント人への手紙第二 8
1 第一項 醵金の方法 兄弟等よ、我等マケドニア[國]の諸教會に賜はりたる神の恩寵を汝等に告ぐ、
We would remind you, Brothers, of the love that God has shown to the Churches in Macedonia —
2 即ち彼等は夥しき患難の試に遇ひたれども、其喜溢れ、其甚しき貧窮は、豊に其吝なき志の富を顕せり。
How, tired though they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness, and even their deep poverty, resulted in a flood of generosity.
3 彼等は力に應じて、否我彼等の為に保證す、力以上に快く施せり。
I can bear witness that to the full extent of their power, and even beyond their power, spontaneously,
4 即ち頻に聖徒等に對する醵金に與る恵を求めて、
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 我等の希望以外にも亦自ら、先己を主に任せ、次に神の思召によりて我等にも任せたり。
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 然れば我等チトに望みて、既に此慈善事業を始めたれば、汝等の中にも亦之を為遂げん事を願へり。
And this led us to urge upon Titus that, as he had started the work for you, he should also see to the completion of this expression of your love.
7 故に汝等信仰に、言語に、學識に、凡ての奮發に、又我等に對する愛に、一切に於て富めるが如く、此慈善にも富む者となれかし。
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 我は之を命ずるが如くには言はず、他人の奮發を以て汝等の愛の眞實を試みんとす。
I am not laying a command upon you, but I am making use of the earnestness shown by others to test the genuineness of your affection.
9 蓋汝等わが主イエズス、キリストの恩寵を知れり、即ち富める者にて在しながら、己が貧しきを以て汝等を富ましめんとて、汝等の為に貧しき者となり給ひしなり。
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 是に就きて我は勧告す、此慈善は汝等に益あり、蓋汝等先に之を為し始めし耳ならず、一年前より志したる事なれば、
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 今は實際に之を為遂げよ、是志の早かりし如く、所有物に應じて為遂ぐる事も亦早からん為なり。
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 其は假令志す事早くとも嘉納せらるるは有たざるものに由らずして有てるものに由ればなり。
For, where there is willingness, a man’s gift is valued by its comparison with what he has, and not with what he has not.
13 是他人に寛にして汝等を苦めんとするに非ず、平均の為なり。
For our object is not to give relief to others and bring distress on you, but, by equalising matters, to secure that,
14 現に汝等の餘る所は、彼等の缺乏を補はざるべからず、然らば彼等の餘る所も亦汝等の缺乏を補ひて、平均するに至るべし。録して、
on the present occasion, what you can spare may supply their need, so that at another time what they can spare may supply your need, and thus matters may be equalised.
15 「多く得たりし人は餘る事なく、少く得たりし人は足らざる事なかりき」、とあるが如し。
As Scripture says — ‘The man who had much had nothing over, and the man who had little did not lack!’
16 神に感謝す、チトの心にも汝等に對して同じ奮發を賜ひたるによりて、
I thank God for inspiring Titus with the same keen interest in your welfare that I have;
17 彼は勧を容れし耳ならず、奮發の心尚深くして、進みて汝等の許へ出立せり。
for Titus has responded to my appeals and, in his great earnestness, is starting to go to you of his own accord.
18 我等又彼と共に一人の兄弟を遣はしたるが、此人は福音に就きて諸教會に普く誉ある
We are sending with him the Brother whose fame in the service of the Good News has spread through all the Churches;
19 耳ならず、主の光榮の為、又我等が志を顕さん為に行へる慈善に就きて、諸教會より我等の旅の侶とせられたるなり。即ち我等は注意して、
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 honour of the Lord, and to show our deep interest.
20 多額の醵金を取扱ふに、人に咎められざらんとす。
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 其は神の御前に耳ならず、人の前にも善からんことを慮ればなり。
for we are trying to make arrangements which shall be right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.
22 尚彼等と共に又一人の兄弟を遣はしたるが、我等は其奮發を多くの事に就きて屡認めたる耳ならず、今は大いに汝等を信用するに由りて其奮發心の更に著しきを認む。
We are also sending with them another of our Brothers, 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 然れば我が友たり汝等に對する協力者たるチトに於ても、諸教會の使たりキリストの名誉たる我等の兄弟等に於ても、
If I must say anything about Titus, he is my intimate companion, and he shares my work for you; if it is our Brothers, they are delegates of the Churches, an honour to Christ.
24 汝等の愛と、我等が汝等に就きて誇れる事との徴を諸教會の面前に顕せ。
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.
