9 It’s unnecessary for me to write to you all about this ministry to the believers 2 because I know about your readiness to help and I’ve been boasting about it to those from Macedonia—that you all in Achaia were ready last year—and your zeal provoked more of them to act. 3 But I sent the brothers so that our boasting about you all won’t be invalidated in this regard, so that you’ll be prepared just as I had told them. 4 Otherwise if somehow some might come with me from Macedonia and find you unprepared, then we (or might we say you all as well) might be disgraced by our confidence. 5 That’s why I considered it necessary to encourage the brothers to go ahead to you all there so they could prearrange the gift that you’d previously promised so that it would be ready as a blessing and not appear as our greediness.