1 Thessalonians 2:17–3:5

¹⁷But we, brothers, having been taken away from you for a ¹short while—^ain face but not in heart—were all the more eager with great desire ^bto see your face.

¹⁸¹For ^awe wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^2bmore than once—and yet ^cSatan ^dhindered us.

¹⁹For who is our hope or ^ajoy or crown of boasting? Is it not even you, before our Lord Jesus at His ^1bcoming?

²⁰For you are ^aour glory and joy.

CHAPTER 3

Timothy’s Good Report

¹Therefore ^awhen we could endure it no longer, we were pleased to be left behind at ^bAthens alone,

²and we sent ^aTimothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith,

³so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions, for you yourselves know that ^awe have been destined for this.

⁴For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction, ^ajust as it happened and as you know.

⁵For this reason, ^awhen I could endure it no longer, I also ^bsent to know about your faith, lest somehow ^cthe tempter has tempted you, and ^dour labor be in vain.