9. For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you.
10. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers.
11. As you know, like a father with his own children,
12. we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13. This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the message about God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the message of God, which also works effectively in you believers.
14. For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country, just as they did from the Jews
15. who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they displease God and are hostile to everyone,
16. hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are always completing the number of their sins, and wrath has overtaken them at last.
17. But as for us, brothers, after we were forced to leave you for a short time (in person, not in heart ), we greatly desired and made every effort to return and see you face to face.
18. So we wanted to come to you — even I, Paul, time and again — but Satan hindered us.
19. For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?
20. For you are our glory and joy!