¹⁸ When they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,^(A)

⁵ because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.^{(A) 6} And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy from the Holy Spirit,^(B)

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.^(A)

¹⁹ When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews.

¹⁰ This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.^(A)

⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you,^{(A) 8} and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you.^{(B) 9} This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate.^(C)

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

¹⁰ Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,^(A)

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

2 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, ² but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.^{(A) 3} For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, ⁴ but, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals but to please God, who tests our hearts.^{(B) 5} As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed,^{(C) 6} nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others,^{(D) 7} though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle^[a] among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸ So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

⁹ You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.^{(E) 10} You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.^(F)

³ We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,^{(A) 4} but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, ⁵ beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;^{(B) 6} in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, ⁷ truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;^{(C) 8} in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, ⁹ as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed,^{(D) 10} as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you.