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 craftiness or ^(B)adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^(C)commending ourselves to every man’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 as pleasing men, but God who ^[b](H)examines our hearts. ⁵ For we never came ^[c]with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(I)a pretext for greed—^(J)God is witness— ⁶ nor did we ^(K)seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as ^(L)apostles of Christ ^[d]we might have ^[e]asserted our authority. ⁷ But we ^[f]proved to be ^[g](M)gentle ^[h]among you, ^(N)as a nursing mother ^[i]tenderly cares for her own children. ⁸ Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to ^(O)impart to you not only the ^(P)gospel of God but also our own ^[j]lives, because you had become ^[k]very dear to us.

⁹ For you recall, brethren, our ^(Q)labor and hardship, how ^(R)working night and day so as not to be a ^(S)burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the ^(T)gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is ^(U)God, ^(V)how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we ^[l]behaved toward you ^[m]believers; ¹¹ just as you know how we were ^(W)exhorting and encouraging and ^[n](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 men, but for what it really is, the word of God, ^(AF)which also performs its work in you who believe. ¹⁴ For you, brethren, 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 men, ^16 (AN)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(AO)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^(AP)fill up the measure of their sins. But ^(AQ)wrath has come upon them ^[r]to the utmost.

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