Paul’s Ministry

2 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our ^[a](A)reception among you ^(B)was not in vain, ² but after we had already suffered and been ^(C)treated abusively in ^(D)Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God ^(E)to speak to you the ^(F)gospel of God ^[b]amid much ^[c](G)opposition. ³ For our ^(H)exhortation does not come from ^(I)error or ^(J)impurity or ^[d]by way of ^(K)deceit; ^4 (L)but just as we have been approved by God to be ^(M)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, ^(N)not intending to please people, but to please God, who ^[e](O)examines our hearts. ⁵ For we never came ^[f]with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(P)a pretext ^[g]for greed—^(Q)God is our witness— ⁶ nor did we ^(R)seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though ^[h]we could have ^[i]asserted our authority as ^(S)apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we ^[j]proved to be ^[k](T)gentle ^[l]among you. ^(U)As a nursing mother ^[m]tenderly cares for her own children, ⁸ in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to ^(V)share with you not only the ^(W)gospel of God, but also our own ^[n]lives, because you had become ^[o]very dear to us.

⁹ For you recall, brothers and sisters, our ^(X)labor and hardship: it was by ^(Y)working night and day so as not to be a ^(Z)burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the ^(AA)gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is ^(AB)God, of ^(AC)how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we ^[p]behaved toward you ^[q]believers; ¹¹ just as you know how we were ^(AD)exhorting and encouraging and ^(AE)imploring each one of you as ^(AF)a father would his own children, ¹² so that you would ^(AG)walk in a manner worthy of the God who ^(AH)calls you into His own kingdom and ^(AI)glory.

¹³ For this reason we also constantly ^(AJ)thank God that when you received the ^(AK)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(AL)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(AM)which also is at work in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brothers and sisters, became ^(AN)imitators of ^(AO)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are ^(AP)in Judea, for ^(AQ)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, ^(AR)even as they did from the Jews, ^15 (AS)who both killed the Lord Jesus and ^(AT)the prophets, and ^[r]drove us out. ^[s]They are not pleasing to God, ^[t]but hostile to all people, ^16 (AU)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(AV)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^[u](AW)reach the limit of their sins. But ^(AX)wrath has come upon them ^[v]fully.

¹⁷ But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a ^[w]short while—^(AY)in ^[x]person, not in ^[y]spirit—were all the more eager with great desire ^(AZ)to see your face. ^18 [z]For ^(BA)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^[aa](BB)more than once—and ^(BC)Satan ^(BD)hindered us. ¹⁹ For who is our hope, or ^(BE)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His ^[ab](BF)coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰ For you are ^(BG)our glory and joy.