17А ние, братя, като осиротяхме от вас за малко време (що се отнася до присъствие телом, но не и духом[1]), се постарахме още повече, с голямо желание, дано видим лицето ви. (1 Кор 5:3; Кол 2:5; 1 Сол 3:10)18Защото поискахме да дойдем при вас (поне аз, Павел) един-два пъти, но Сатана ни попречи. (Рим 1:13; Рим 15:22)19Понеже коя е нашата надежда или радост, или венец, с който се хвалим? Не сте ли вие – пред нашия Господ Исус при Неговото пришествие? (Пр 16:31; 1 Кор 15:23; 2 Кор 1:14; Фил 2:16; Фил 4:1; 1 Сол 3:13; Отк 1:7; Отк 22:12)20Защото вие сте наша слава и радост. (Фил 4:1)
1For you yourselves know, brothers,[1] that our coming to you was not in vain. (1 Сол 1:9; 2 Сол 1:10)2But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. (Д А 4:13; Д А 16:22; Д А 17:2; Фил 1:30)3For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, (2 Кор 2:17; 2 Кор 4:2; 1 Сол 4:7; 2 Сол 2:11)4but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. (Пс 17:3; Рим 8:27; Гал 1:10; Гал 2:7)5For we never came with words of flattery,[2] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— God is witness. (Д А 20:33; Рим 1:9; 1 Сол 2:10)6Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (Йн 5:41; 1 Кор 9:1; 1 Кор 9:4; 2 Кор 4:5; 2 Кор 11:9; 1 Сол 2:9; 2 Сол 3:9; Флм 1:8; Флм 1:9)7But we were gentle[3] among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. (Ис 49:23; Ис 60:16; 1 Кор 14:20; 2 Тим 2:24)8So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (2 Кор 12:15)9For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. (Д А 18:3; Фил 4:16; 2 Сол 3:8)10You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. (1 Сол 1:5; 1 Сол 2:5)11For you know how, like a father with his children, (1 Кор 4:14; 1 Сол 2:7)12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (Рим 8:28; Еф 4:1; Еф 4:17; 1 Сол 5:24; 2 Сол 2:14; 1 Пет 5:10)13And we also thank God constantly[4] for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men[5] but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (Мт 10:20; Рим 10:17; Гал 4:14; 1 Сол 1:2; 1 Сол 1:3; Евр 4:12)14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,[6] (Д А 17:5; 1 Кор 7:17; 1 Сол 1:6; 1 Сол 3:4; 2 Сол 1:4; 2 Сол 1:5; Евр 10:33; Евр 10:34)15who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind (Ест 3:8; Ер 2:30; Мт 5:12; Мт 23:29; Лк 24:20)16by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last![7] (Бит 15:16; Д А 13:45; Д А 13:50; Д А 14:2; Д А 14:19; Д А 17:5; Д А 17:13; Д А 18:12; Д А 22:21; Д А 22:22; 1 Сол 1:10)