⁷ Instead, we were like young children^[a] among you.

Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,^{(A) 8} so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God^(B) but our lives as well.^{(C) 9} Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(D) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(E) while we preached the gospel of God to you.