1 Thessalonians 2
2
Cherishing Spiritual Children
1For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not in vain.
2On the contrary, after we had first suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to tell you the Good News of God—even in the midst of much opposition.
3For our urging is not out of deceit or impure motives or trickery.
4But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we declare it—not pleasing men but rather God, who examines our hearts.
5For as you know and God is witness, we never came with a word of flattery or a motive of greed—
6or seeking glory from people, whether from you or from others,
7even though we could have thrown our weight around as emissaries of Messiah. Rather, we proved to be infants among you. Like a nursing mother cherishes her children,
8in this way we were yearning for you. We were delighted to share with you not only the Good News of God but also our very souls, because you had become dear to us.
9For you recall, brothers and sisters, our labor and hardship—working night and day, so as not to burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the Good News of God.
10You are witnesses, along with God, of how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we behaved toward you who believe.
11For you know how, as a father with his own children,
12we exhorted and encouraged and urged each one of you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13For this reason, we also thank God constantly that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it truly is—the word of God, which does its work in you who believe.
14For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s communities in Messiah Yeshua that are in Judea—for you suffered the same things at the hands of your own countrymen as they did from the Judean leaders,
15who killed both the Lord Yeshua and the prophets and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God and hostile to all people,
16hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they might be saved. As a result, they constantly fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last.
Longing to Visit and Reassure
17But brothers and sisters, after we were orphaned by separation from you for a short time (in person, not in heart), we were all the more eager in our great longing to see you face to face.
18For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—but satan thwarted us.
19For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Yeshua at His coming? Is it not you?
20For you are our glory and joy!
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
1 Thessalonians 2
2
Paul's Work in Thessalonica
1My friends, you know our time with you wasn't wasted. 2#Ac 16.19-24; Ac 17.1-9. As you remember, we had been mistreated and insulted at Philippi. But God gave us the courage to tell you the good news about him, even though many people caused us trouble. 3We didn't have any hidden motives when we won you over, and we didn't try to fool or trick anyone. 4God was pleased to trust us with his message. We didn't speak to please people, but to please God who knows our motives.
5You also know we didn't try to flatter anyone. God himself knows what we did wasn't a cover-up for greed. 6We were not trying to get you or anyone else to praise us. 7But as apostles, we could have demanded help from you. After all, Christ is the one who sent us. We chose to be like children or like a mother#2.7 like children or like a mother: Some manuscripts have “as gentle as a mother.” nursing her baby. 8We cared so much for you, and you became so dear to us, that we were willing to give our lives for you when we gave you God's message.
9My dear friends, you surely haven't forgotten our hard work and hardships. You remember how night and day we struggled to make a living, so we could tell you God's message without being a burden to anyone. 10Both you and God are witnesses that we were pure and honest and innocent in our dealings with you followers of the Lord. 11You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children. 12We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory.
13We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn't something made up by humans. You accepted it as God's message, and now he is working in you. 14#Ac 17.5. My friends, you did just like God's churches in Judea and like the other followers of Christ Jesus there. And so, you were mistreated by your own people, in the same way they were mistreated by their people.
15 #
Ac 9.23,29; 13.45,50; 14.2,5,19; 17.5,13; 18.12. Those evil people killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and they even chased us away. God doesn't like what they do and neither does anyone else. 16They keep us from speaking his message to the Gentiles and from leading them to be saved. They have always gone too far with their sins. Now God has finally become angry and will punish them.
Paul Wants To Visit the Church Again
17My friends, we were kept from coming to you for a while, but we never stopped thinking about you. We were eager to see you and tried our best to visit you in person. 18We really wanted to come. I myself tried several times, but Satan always stopped us. 19After all, when the Lord Jesus appears, who else but you will give us hope and joy and be like a glorious crown for us? 20You alone are our glory and joy!
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.