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You and God know that it is true that we behaved in a very virtuous, upright, and irreproachable manner toward you. You know also that we continually exhorted, encouraged, and urged that you behave in the way that God’s people should.
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1 My fellow believers, you know that our time with you was very worthwhile/effective [LIT]. 2 Although people in Philippi city previously mistreated us (exc) and insulted us, as you know, our God caused us to be courageous. As a result, we told you the good message that originates/comes from God, even though some people in your city also strongly ◄opposed us/tried to prevent us from telling God’s message►. 3 When we exhorted/urged (OR, tried to convince) you to obey God’s message, we did not tell you an untrue message. Instead, we told you a true message. We do not want to get something for ourselves by immoral means. We do not try to deceive you or other people. 4 On the contrary, we tell God’s message because he trusted us to do that, because he examined us and considered us to be acceptable to tell people the message about Christ. As we teach people, we do not say what they like to hear. Instead, we say what God wants us to say, because he examines everything that we think and what we desire. 5 We never ◄flattered you/said nice things about you insincerely►, as you know. We were never greedy, so we never needed to use words to ◄hide greediness from you/cause you to think that we were not greedy►. God knows that this is true! 6 We never tried to get people to honor us, 7 although we could have demanded that you should honor/respect us, because we are apostles who represent (OR, speak for) Christ. On the contrary, we were gentle when we were among you, as a mother gently takes care of her own children [SIM]. 8 So, because we love you, we were delighted to personally tell you the good message that God gave us. But also we were delighted to lovingly do all that we could do to help you [SYN] because ◄you had become very dear to us/we had begun to love you very much►. 9 My fellow believers, you remember that we worked very hard [DOU] in order to ◄support ourselves/earn money to buy what we needed► while we were with you. We worked during the day and also at night in order that we would not have to ask any one of you to give us what we needed, while we proclaimed to you the good message that God gave us. 10 You know that it is true, and God knows that it is true, that we conducted our lives in a very pure, right, and faultless [DOU] manner toward you believers. 11 You know also that we lovingly behaved/acted toward each one of you, just like a father lovingly behaves/acts toward his own children [SIM]. 12 Specifically, we kept strongly exhorting/urging and encouraging you that you conduct your lives in the way that God’s people should, because he has invited you to become his people over whom he will rule in a wonderful way [HEN].
We continually thank God also that you accepted as true a message that does not originate from human beings. Instead, you accepted as true the message that originates from God, and the result was that people caused you to suffer as Christ did.
1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
13 We also continually thank God because when you heard the message that we told to you, you accepted it as the true message, the good message that God gave to us. We did not invent it. We also thank God that he is changing your lives because you trust this message [PRS]. 14 My fellow believers, we know that you sincerely believed the message from God, because the manner in which you acted was just like the manner in which the congregations in Judea acted. They also worship God, and they ◄have a close relationship with/are united to► Christ Jesus. Specifically, you endured it when your own countrymen mistreated you because you believe the message from God, in the same manner that those Jewish believers in Judea endured it when the Jews who do not believe in Christ mistreated them. 15 Unbelieving Jews are the ones whom God considers guilty for killing the Lord Jesus, as well as for killing many prophets. Other unbelieving Jews forced us to leave many towns. They really make God angry; and they are opposed to what is best for all human beings! 16 Specifically, when we tell the good message to non-Jewish people in order that they can be saved {that God will save them} spiritually, these unbelieving Jews try to stop/prevent us from doing that. Because they continually sin more and more, they are almost reaching the limit that has been set by God [MET]! God will soon punish them [MTY], at last, for all their sins!
It is because of you that we are pleased and joyful. So when people forced Silas, Timothy and me to be separated from you for a short time, we strongly desired to be with you.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20
17 My fellow believers, when for a short time [IDM] those people forced us to be separated from you, we felt like parents ◄who had lost all their children/whose children had died► [MET]. Although we were far away from you, we were still emotionally concerned about you, and we strongly desired to be present with you. 18 You can know that we wanted to return to you. Indeed I, Paul, tried to return twice [IDM]. But we did not return because each time Satan prevented us from returning. 19 We were strongly desiring to be with you, because truly you [RHQ] are the ones about whom we are proud and joyful! It is because we are confident that you will ◄remain faithful/continue believing in God► that we will be joyful! You are the ones who we confidently expect will keep strongly trusting in God! It is because you will ◄remain faithful/continue believing in God► that we will be proud of the work that we have done [MET, RHQ] when our Lord Jesus examines what we all have done, at the time when he comes back to earth! 20 Indeed, it is because of you that even now we are pleased and joyful!