1 F or you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming among you was not useless and fruitless.

For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain,

2 B ut though we had already suffered and been outrageously treated at Philippi, as you know, yet in our God we summoned courage to proclaim to you unfalteringly the good news (the Gospel) with earnest contention and much conflict and great opposition.

but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.

3 F or our appeal does not from delusion or error or impure purpose or motive, nor in fraud or deceit.

For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception.

4 B ut just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the glad tidings (the Gospel), so we speak not to please men but to please God, Who tests our hearts '> expecting them to be approved].

But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.

5 F or as you well know, we never resorted either to words of flattery or to any cloak to conceal greedy motives or pretexts for gain, God is our witness.

For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),

6 N or did we seek to extract praise and honor and glory from men, either from you or from anyone else, though we might have asserted our authority as apostles (special missionaries) of Christ (the Messiah).

nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.

7 B ut we behaved gently when we were among you, like a devoted mother nursing and cherishing her own children.

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

8 S o, being thus tenderly and affectionately desirous of you, we continued to share with you not only God’s good news (the Gospel) but also our own lives as well, for you had become so very dear to us.

Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.

9 F or you recall our hard toil and struggles, brethren. We worked night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you while we proclaimed the glad tidings (the Gospel) of God to you.

For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God.

10 Y ou are witnesses, and God, how unworldly and upright and blameless was our behavior toward you believers.

You are witnesses with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.

11 F or you know how, as a father his children, we used to exhort each of you personally, stimulating and encouraging and charging you

As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,

12 T o live lives worthy of God, Who calls you into His own kingdom and the glorious blessedness '> into which true believers will enter after Christ’s return].

to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.

13 A nd we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe '> exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].

For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.

14 F or you, brethren, became imitators of the assemblies (churches) of God in Christ Jesus which are in Judea, for you too have suffered the same kind of treatment from your own fellow countrymen as they did of the Jews,

For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews;

15 W ho killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and harassed and drove us out, and continue to make themselves hateful and offensive to God and to show themselves foes of all men,

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and didn’t please God, and are contrary to all men;

16 F orbidding and hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles (the nations) that they may be saved. So as always they fill up their sins. But God’s wrath has come upon them at last!

forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

17 B ut since we were bereft of you, brethren, for a little while in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great longing to see you face to face,

But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,

18 B ecause it was our will to come to you. I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered and impeded us.

because we wanted to come to you—indeed, I, Paul, once and again—but Satan hindered us.

19 F or what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wreath of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn’t it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

20 F or you are our glory and our joy!

For you are our glory and our joy.