You and God know that it is true that we behaved in a very virtuous, upright, and irreproachable manner toward you. You know also that we continually exhorted, encouraged, and urged that you behave in the way that God’s people should.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

2 My fellow believers, you know that our time with you was very worthwhile/effective [LIT]. 2 Although people in Philippi city previously mistreated us (exc) and insulted us, as you know, our God caused us to be courageous. As a result, we told you the good message that originates/comes from God, even though some people in your city also strongly ◄opposed us/tried to prevent us from telling God’s message►. 3 When we exhorted/urged (OR, tried to convince) you to obey God’s message, we did not tell you an untrue message. Instead, we told you a true message. We do not want to get something for ourselves by immoral means. We do not try to deceive you or other people. 4 On the contrary, we tell God’s message because he trusted us to do that, because he examined us and considered us to be acceptable to tell people the message about Christ. As we teach people, we do not say what they like to hear. Instead, we say what God wants us to say, because he examines everything that we think and what we desire. 5 We never ◄flattered you/said nice things about you insincerely►, as you know. We were never greedy, so we never needed to use words to ◄hide greediness from you/cause you to think that we were not greedy►. God knows that this is true! 6 We never tried to get people to honor us, 7 although we could have demanded that you should honor/respect us, because we are apostles who represent (OR, speak for) Christ. On the contrary, we were gentle when we were among you, as a mother gently takes care of her own children [SIM]. 8 So, because we love you, we were delighted to personally tell you the good message that God gave us. But also we were delighted to lovingly do all that we could do to help you [SYN] because ◄you had become very dear to us/we had begun to love you very much►. 9 My fellow believers, you remember that we worked very hard [DOU] in order to ◄support ourselves/earn money to buy what we needed► while we were with you. We worked during the day and also at night in order that we would not have to ask any one of you to give us what we needed, while we proclaimed to you the good message that God gave us. 10 You know that it is true, and God knows that it is true, that we conducted our lives in a very pure, right, and faultless [DOU] manner toward you believers. 11 You know also that we lovingly behaved/acted toward each one of you, just like a father lovingly behaves/acts toward his own children [SIM]. 12 Specifically, we kept strongly exhorting/urging and encouraging you that you conduct your lives in the way that God’s people should, because he has invited you to become his people over whom he will rule in a wonderful way [HEN].