1 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know how God showed his kindness to the churches in the province of Macedonia.
2 While they were being severely tested by suffering, their overflowing joy, along with their extreme poverty, has made them even more generous.
3 I assure you that by their own free will they have given all they could, even more than they could afford.
4 They made an appeal to us, begging us to let them participate in the ministry of God’s kindness to his holy people ⌊in Jerusalem⌋.
5 They did more than we had expected. First, they gave themselves to the Lord and to us, since this was God’s will.