1 Brothers and Sisters, you know that we didn’t visit you for no reason. 2 Before we came to you, people in Philippi abused us, mocking us with insults and made us suffer. You know all about that. And then, when we came to you, many people there caused trouble for us also. But our Alahim YAHUAH still gave us the courage we needed to tell you of His Good News of deliverance. 3 When we encourage people to believe the Good News, it’s not out of wrong motives or crazy delusion. We’re not trying to trick or fool anyone, or rip them off! 4 No! We did it because YAHUSHA is the One who gave us this work. And this was only after He tested us and saw that we could be trusted to do it. So when we speak, we are only trying to please YAHUSHA, not anyone else. He is the one who can see what’s deep in our hearts, proving and testing them.
5 You know that we never tried to influence you by ‘sucking up’ with flattery and we never tried to get any money out of you. We had no greed to hide from you and YAHUSHA knows that this is true. 6 We were not looking for praise from people either - not from you or anyone else.
7 When we were with you, as Disciples of Messiah we could have used our authority to be a burden and make you help us. But we were very gentle with you, like a mother caring for her children. 8 We loved you very much, so we were happy to share YAHUSHA’S Good News of deliverance with you. But not only that - we were even happy to share our own lives with you. 9 Brothers and Sisters, I know that you remember how hard we worked. We worked night and day to support ourselves, so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we did the work of telling you YAHUSHA’S Good News of deliverance.
10 When we were there with you believers, we were pure, honest, and without fault in the way we lived and behaved. You know, just as YAHUSHA does, that this is true. 11 You know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his own children. 12 We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we told you to live good lives for YAHUSHA, for He calls you to be part of his marvellous kingdom.
13 Also, we always thank YAHUSHA because of the way you accepted His message. You heard it and accepted it as YAHUAH’S message, not our own. And it really is His message. And it works in you who believe. 14 Brothers and Sisters, you became imitator of YAHUSHA’S Fellowships in Judea, because you were treated badly by your own people, just as those believers in Messiah YAHUSHA were treated badly by other Jews - 15 the same Jews who killed the Master YAHUSHA and the Prophets. And they forced us to leave their country. They are not pleasing to Alahim YAHUAH, and they are hostile and against everyone else. 16 And they are even trying to stop us from teaching the nations (those who are not Jews). They don’t want them to be delivered. So they are just adding more and more sins to the ones they already have. And the time has come for them to suffer YAHUSHA’S wrath.
17 Brothers and Sisters, we were separated from you for a short time, but even though we weren’t there, our thoughts were still with you. We wanted very much to see you, and we tried very hard to do this. 18 Yes, we wanted to come to you. I, Paul, tried more than once to come, but Satan hindered and stopped us. 19 You are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will be proud of when our Master YAHUSHA MESSIAH comes. 20 You bring us honour and joy.
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