1 Thessalonians 2
1 For you yourselves, brothers, are conscious that our coming among you was not without effect:
For you yourselves, brethren, know that our visit to you did not fail of its purpose.
2 But after we had first undergone much pain and been cruelly attacked as you saw, at Philippi, by the help of God we gave you the good news without fear, though everything was against us.
But, as you will remember, after we had already met with suffering and outrage at Philippi, we summoned up boldness, by the help of our God, to tell you God's Good News amid much opposition.
3 For our witness does not come from error or from an unclean heart or from deceit:
For our preaching was not grounded on a delusion, nor prompted by mingled motives, nor was there fraud in it.
4 But even as the good news was given to us by the approval of God, so we give it out; not as pleasing men, but God by whom our hearts are tested.
But as God tested and approved us before entrusting us with His Good News, so in what we say we are seeking not to please men but to please God, who tests and approves our motives.
5 For it is common knowledge among you that we never made use of smooth-sounding false words, and God is witness that at no time were we secretly desiring profit for ourselves,
For, as you are well aware, we have never used the language of flattery nor have we found pretexts for enriching ourselves--God is our witness;
6 Or looking for glory from men, from you or from others, when we might have made ourselves a care to you as Apostles of Christ.
nor did we seek glory either from you or from any other mere men, although we might have stood on our dignity as Christ's Apostles.
7 But we were gentle among you, like a woman caring for her little ones:
On the contrary, in our relations to you we showed ourselves as gentle as a mother is when she tenderly nurses her own children.
8 Even so, being full of loving desire for you, we took delight in giving you not only God's good news, but even our lives, because you were dear to us.
Seeing that we were thus drawn affectionately towards you, it would have been a joy to us to have imparted to you not only God's Good News, but to have given our very lives also, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you have the memory, my brothers, of our trouble and care; how, working night and day, so that we might not be a trouble to any of you, we gave you the good news of God.
For you remember, brethren, our labour and toil: how, working night and day so as not to become a burden to any one of you, we came and proclaimed among you God's Good News.
10 You are witnesses, with God, how holy and upright and free from all evil was our way of life among you who have faith;
You yourselves are witnesses--and God is witness--how holy and upright and blameless our dealings with you believers were.
11 Even as you saw how, like a father with his children, we were teaching and comforting you all, and giving witness,
For you know that we acted towards every one of you as a father does towards his own children, encouraging and cheering you,
12 So that your lives might be pleasing to God, who has given you a part in his kingdom and his glory.
and imploring you to live lives worthy of fellowship with God who is inviting you to share His own Kingship and glory.
13 And for this cause we still give praise to God, that, when the word came to your ears through us, you took it, not as the word of man, but, as it truly is, the word of God, which has living power in you who have faith.
And for this further reason we render unceasing thanks to God, that when you received God's Message from our lips, it was as no mere message from men that you embraced it, but as--what it really is--God's Message, which also does its work in the hearts of you who believe.
14 For you, my brothers, took as your examples the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus; because you underwent the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews;
For you, brethren, followed the example of the Churches of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judaea; seeing that you endured the same ill-treatment at the hands of your countrymen, as they did at the hands of the Jews.
15 Who put to death the Lord Jesus and the prophets, violently driving us out; who are unpleasing to God and against all men;
Those Jewish persecutors killed both the Lord Jesus and the Prophets, and drove us out of their midst. They are displeasing to God, and are the enemies of all mankind;
16 Who, to make the measure of their sins complete, kept us from giving the word of salvation to the Gentiles: but the wrath of God is about to come on them in the fullest degree.
for they still try to prevent our preaching to the Gentiles so that they may find salvation. They thus continually fill up the measure of their own sins, and God's anger in its severest form has overtaken them.
17 But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face;
But we, brethren, having been for a short time separated from you in bodily presence, though not in heart, endeavoured all the more earnestly, with intense longing, to see you face to face.
18 For which reason we made attempts to come to you, even I, Paul, once and again; but Satan kept us from coming.
On this account we wanted to come to you--at least I Paul wanted again and again to do so--but Satan hindered us.
19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of glory? Are not even you, before our Lord Jesus, at his coming?
For what is our hope or joy, or the crown of which we boast? Is it not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His Coming?
20 For you are our glory and our joy.
Yes, you are our glory and our joy.
