³ I’m not saying this to pass judgment against you; I’ve already said that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴ I speak to you freely and openly; I regularly boast about you; I am full of comfort, and fuller still of joy, over and above all our trouble.

⁵ You see, even when we arrived in Macedonia, we couldn’t relax or rest. We were troubled in every way; there were battles outside and fears inside.