1Now you yourselves know, brothers, that our entrance to you did not happen without purpose.
2Rather, in spite of having already suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, we made bold in our God to speak to you the Gospel of God, in the face of strong opposition.
3Further, our exhortation does not spring from delusion or impurity, nor is it in deception,
4but we speak precisely as those who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, not so as to please men, but to please the God who evaluates our hearts.
5Further, you well know that we never used words to flatter, or to disguise greed (God is witness),
6or to seek glory from men (whether from you or from others)—as apostles of Christ we could have been ‘heavy’,
7but we were gentle among you, like a nurse cherishing her own children.
8Yearning over you in this way, we were well pleased to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become dear to us.
9Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and exertion, because working night and day, so as not to burden any of you, we proclaimed the Gospel of God to you.
10You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11indeed, you know how we treated each one of you as a father does his own children, exhorting and comforting you,
12insisting that you conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13Another reason we give thanks to God continually is that when you received from us the spoken Word of God, you welcomed it not as the word of men but, as it actually is, the Word of God, which is indeed operative in you who believe.
14For you, brothers, became imitators of God's congregations in Christ Jesus, the ones in Judea, in that you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen that they did from the Jews
15(the ones who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, who have persecuted us, who do not please God and are hostile to everybody,
16trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved—so as to fill up the measure of their sins. They have received the full impact of the Wrath).
17Now we, brothers, having been bereaved of you for a short season (in presence, not in heart), made every effort to see your face, from intense longing.
18(We actually tried to come to you—I, Paul, time and again—but Satan thwarted us.)
19For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Is it not precisely you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
20Indeed, you are our glory and our joy.
