12. exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
13. And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.
14. For you, brothers, have become imitators of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you suffer the same things from your compatriots as they did from the Jews,
15. who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they do not please God, and are opposed to everyone,
16. trying to prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles that they may be saved, thus constantly filling up the measure of their sins. But the wrath of God has finally begun to come upon them.
17. Brothers, when we were bereft of you for a short time, in person, not in heart, we were all the more eager in our great desire to see you in person.
18. We decided to go to you—I, Paul, not only once but more than once—yet Satan thwarted us.
19. For what is our hope or joy or crown to boast of in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming if not you yourselves?
20. For you are our glory and joy.