12. We strengthened you, we comforted you, and we told you to live good lives for God. It is God who calls you to his glorious kingdom.
13. Also, we always thank God because of the way you accepted his message. You heard his message from us, and you accepted it as the word of God, not the words of men. And it really is God’s message. And that message works in you who believe.
14. Brothers, you have been like God’s churches in Christ that are in Judea. God’s people suffered bad things from the other Jews there. And you suffered the same bad things from the people of your own country.
15. Those Jews killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets. And they forced us to leave that country. They do not please God. They are against all people.
16. They try to stop us from teaching the non-Jews so that they may be saved. But those Jews are adding more and more sins to the sins they already have. The anger of God has come to them at last.
17. Brothers, we were separated from you for a short time, but our thoughts were still with you. We wanted very much to see you, and tried very hard to do so.
18. I, Paul, tried to come many times, but Satan stopped us.
19. For you are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will be proud of when our Lord Jesus Christ comes.
20. Truly you are our glory and our joy.