¹⁸ But as ^(A)God is faithful, ^(B)our word to you is not yes and no.

² but we have renounced the ^(A)things hidden because of shame, not walking in trickery nor ^(B)distorting the word of God, but by the open proclamation of the truth ^(C)commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in the sight of God.

³ For our ^(A)exhortation does not come from ^(B)error or ^(C)impurity or ^[a]by way of ^(D)deceit; ^4 (E)but just as we have been approved by God to be ^(F)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, ^(G)not intending to please people, but to please God, who ^[b](H)examines our hearts. ⁵ For we never came ^[c]with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(I)a pretext ^[d]for greed—^(J)God is our witness— ⁶ nor did we ^(K)seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though ^[e]we could have ^[f]asserted our authority as ^(L)apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we ^[g]proved to be ^[h](M)gentle ^[i]among you. ^(N)As a nursing mother ^[j]tenderly cares for her own children, ⁸ in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to ^(O)share with you not only the ^(P)gospel of God, but also our own ^[k]lives, because you had become ^[l]very dear to us.

⁹ For you recall, brothers and sisters, our ^(Q)labor and hardship: it was by ^(R)working night and day so as not to be a ^(S)burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the ^(T)gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is ^(U)God, of ^(V)how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we ^[m]behaved toward you ^[n]believers; ¹¹ just as you know how we were ^(W)exhorting and encouraging and ^(X)imploring each one of you as ^(Y)a father would his own children, ¹² so that you would ^(Z)walk in a manner worthy of the God who ^(AA)calls you into His own kingdom and ^(AB)glory.

¹³ For this reason we also constantly ^(AC)thank God that when you received the ^(AD)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(AE)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(AF)which also is at work in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brothers and sisters, became ^(AG)imitators of ^(AH)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are ^(AI)in Judea, for ^(AJ)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, ^(AK)even as they did from the Jews, ^15 (AL)who both killed the Lord Jesus and ^(AM)the prophets, and ^[o]drove us out. ^[p]They are not pleasing to God, ^[q]but hostile to all people, ^16 (AN)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(AO)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^[r](AP)reach the limit of their sins. But ^(AQ)wrath has come upon them ^[s]fully.

¹⁷ But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a ^[t]short while—^(AR)in ^[u]person, not in ^[v]spirit—were all the more eager with great desire ^(AS)to see your face. ^18 [w]For ^(AT)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^[x](AU)more than once—and ^(AV)Satan ^(AW)hindered us. ¹⁹ For who is our hope, or ^(AX)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His ^[y](AY)coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰ For you are ^(AZ)our glory and joy.