002:001 For you yourselves, brethren, know that our visit to you did
not fail of its purpose.
002:002 But, as you will remember, after we had already met with suffering
and outrage at Philippi, we summoned up boldness, by the help
of our God, to tell you God's Good News amid much opposition.
002:003 For our preaching was not grounded on a delusion, nor prompted
by mingled motives, nor was there fraud in it.
002:004 But as God tested and approved us before entrusting us with
His Good News, so in what we say we are seeking not to please
men but to please God, who tests and approves our motives.
002:005 For, as you are well aware, we have never used the language
of flattery nor have we found pretexts for enriching ourselves--
God is our witness;
002:006 nor did we seek glory either from you or from any other mere men,
although we might have stood on our dignity as Christ's Apostles.
002:007 On the contrary, in our relations to you we showed ourselves as
gentle as a mother is when she tenderly nurses her own children.
002:008 Seeing that we were thus drawn affectionately towards you,
it would have been a joy to us to have imparted to you not
only God's Good News, but to have given our very lives also,
because you had become very dear to us.
002:009 For you remember, brethren, our labour and toil: how, working night
and day so as not to become a burden to any one of you,
we came and proclaimed among you God's Good News.
002:010 You yourselves are witnesses--and God is witness--how holy
and upright and blameless our dealings with you believers were.
002:011 For you know that we acted towards every one of you as a father
does towards his own children, encouraging and cheering you,
002:012 and imploring you to live lives worthy of fellowship with God
who is inviting you to share His own Kingship and glory.