Pāvila kalpošana Tesalonīkē
1 Brāļi, jūs paši zināt, ka mūsu apmeklējums pie jums nav bijis veltīgs. 2 Patiešām, kā jūs zināt, pirms ierašanās pie jums mēs, pazemoti un ciešanām pakļauti Filipos, smēlāmies drosmi Dievā, lai, pārvarot milzu pretestību, sludinātu jums Dieva evaņģēliju. 3 Mūsu mudinājums nenāk no maldīšanās, un tam nav negodīgu vai viltus nolūku, 4 bet, kā Dievs mūs pārbaudīja, lai uzticētu mums evaņģēliju, tā arī mēs runājam, necenzdamies izpatikt cilvēkiem, bet gan Dievam, kas ir mūsu siržu pārbaudītājs. 5 Jūs labi zināt, mēs nekad neesam nākuši ar glaimiem vai alkatības dzīti – Dievs tam ir liecinieks –, 6 ne arī lai gūtu slavu pie cilvēkiem – pie jums vai pie svešiem. 7 Ja arī mēs kā Kristus apustuļi varējām izmantot savu ietekmi, tomēr jūsu vidū mēs bijām pavisam lēnprātīgi – gluži kā barotāja māte mēdz samīļot savus bērnus. 8 Pēc jums ilgodamies, mēs apņemamies dalīties ar jums ne tikai Dieva evaņģēlijā, bet arī savās dvēselēs, jo jūs mums esat kļuvuši mīļi. 9 Brāļi, atcerieties mūsu pūles un smago darbu – mēs strādājām dienu un nakti, lai nevienam no jums nebūtu par apgrūtinājumu, kamēr sludinājām jums Dieva evaņģēliju. 10 Jūs un Dievs esat liecinieki, cik dievbijīgi un godīgi, un nevainojami mēs bijām pret jums, ticīgajiem. 11 Jūs to zināt, ka mēs izturējāmies pret katru no jums tā, kā tēvs izturas pret saviem bērniem, 12 aizstāvēdami, iedrošinādami un pārliecinādami jūs dzīvot cienīgi – saskaņā ar Dievu, kas jūs aicina savā Valstībā un godībā. 13 Un tādēļ mēs nemitīgi pateicamies Dievam, ka jūs, saņēmuši no mums Dieva vēstījuma vārdus, esat tos uzņēmuši ne kā cilvēku sacītus vārdus, bet kā vārdus no Dieva, kā tas tiešām ir, un Dievs arī darbojas jūsos, ticīgajos. 14 Jūs, brāļi, esat kļuvuši līdzinieki tām Dieva draudzēm Jēzū Kristū, kas ir Jūdejā, jo jūs no saviem tautiešiem cietāt tāpat kā viņi no jūdiem, 15 kas nogalināja Kungu Jēzu un praviešus un neganti vajāja arī mūs. Viņi nav patīkami Dievam un ir naidīgi visiem cilvēkiem, 16 jo viņi aizliedz mums runāt ar pagāniem un liedz mums tos glābt. Tā viņi dara pilnu savu grēku mēru. Pār viņiem ir jau nākušas Dieva dusmas.
Pāvila vēlēšanās atkal apmeklēt tesalonīkiešus
17 Bet mēs, brāļi, uz īsu brīdi esam kļuvuši bāri bez jums – mēs gan bijām šķirti vaigā , bet ne sirdī – dedzīgi kārojām un visādi pūlējāmies, lai varētu skatīt jūs vaigā. 18 Tādēļ mēs gribējām nākt pie jums – es, Pāvils, ne reizi vien –, bet sātans lika mums šķēršļus. 19 Kurš gan cits, ja ne jūs esat mūsu cerība, prieks un balva, ar ko dižoties mūsu Kunga Jēzus priekšā, kad viņš nāks!? 20 Patiesi, jūs esat mūsu slava un prieks!
Paul's Work in Thessalonica
1 Our friends, you yourselves know that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him. 3 Our appeal to you is not based on error or impure motives, nor do we try to trick anyone. 4 Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please people, but to please God, who tests our motives. 5 You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk, nor did we use words to cover up greed—God is our witness! 6 We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others, 7 even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you. But we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children. 8 Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives. You were so dear to us! 9 Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God.
10 You are our witnesses, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault. 11 You know that we treated each one of you just as parents treat their own children. 12 We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.
13 And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God's message, you heard it and accepted it, not as a message from human beings but as God's message, which indeed it is. For God is at work in you who believe. 14 Our friends, the same things happened to you that happened to the churches of God in Judea, to the people there who belong to Christ Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from your own people that they suffered from the Jews, 15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are to everyone! 16 They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles the message that would bring them salvation. In this way they have brought to completion all the sins they have always committed. And now God's anger has at last come down on them!
Paul's Desire to Visit Them Again
17 As for us, friends, when we were separated from you for a little while—not in our thoughts, of course, but only in body—how we missed you and how hard we tried to see you again! 18 We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us. 19 After all, it is you—you, no less than others!—who are our hope, our joy, and our reason for boasting of our victory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes. 20 Indeed, you are our pride and our joy!
