Bilingual reading

For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain,

but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict.

For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception.

But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak—not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts.

For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness),

nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.

Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.

For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God.

You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.

As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children,

to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.

For this cause we also thank God without ceasing that when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, God’s word, which also works in you who believe.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and don’t please God, and are contrary to all men,

forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.

But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire,

because we wanted to come to you—indeed, I, Paul, once and again—but Satan hindered us.

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn’t it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

For you are our glory and our joy.

وتَعلَمونَ أَنتُم، أَيُّها الإِخوَة، أَنَّ مَجيئَنا إِلَيكم لم يَكُن باطِلًا

فقَد لَقِينا في فيلِبِّيَ العَذابَ والإِهانَةَ كما تَعلَمون، ولٰكِنَّنا جَرُؤْنا، لِثِقَتِنا بِإِلٰهِنا، أَن نُكلِّمَكم بِبِشارةِ الله في جِهادٍ كَثير

فلَيسَ وَعْظُنا عن ضَلالٍ ولا فُجورٍ ولا مَكْر

بل كَلامُنا كَلامُ مَنِ ٱختَبَرَهُمُ اللهُ لِكَي يَأتَمِنَهم على البِشارة، لا لِنُرضِيَ النَّاس، بل لِنُرضِيَ اللهَ الَّذي يَختَبِرُ قُلوبَنا

فلَم نَنطِقْ بِكَلِمَةِ تَملُّقٍ قَطّ، كما تَعلَمون، ولا أَضمَرْنا طَمَعًا، يَشهَدُ الله

ولا طَلَبْنا المَجْدَ مِنَ النَّاس، لا مِنكُم ولا مِن غَيرِكم

مع أَنَّه كانَ مِن حَقِّنا أَن نَفرِضَ أَنفُسَنا لِأَنَّنا رُسُلُ المسيح. لٰكِن لَطَفْنا بِكُم كما تَحتَضِنُ المُرضِعُ أَولادَها

وبَلَغَ مِنَّا الحُنُوُّ علَيكم أَنَّنا وَدِدْنا لو نَجودُ علَيكم، لا بِبِشارة اللهِ فَقَط، بل بِأَنفُسِنا أَيضًا، لِأَنَّكم أَصبَحتُم أَحِبَّاءَ إِلَينا

فإِنَّكم تَذكُرونَ، أَيُّها الإِخوَة، جَهْدَنا وكَدَّنا، فقَد بَلَّغْناكم بِشارةَ الله ونَحنُ نَعمَلُ في اللَّيلِ والنَّهارِ لِئَلَّا نُثَقِّلَ على أَحَدٍ مِنكم

وأَنتُم شُهودٌ واللهُ شاهِدٌ أَيضًا كَيفَ عامَلْناكم، أَنتُمُ المُؤمِنين، مُعامَلَةً بارَّةً عادِلَة لا يَنالُها لَوم

فقَد عامَلْنا كُلًّا مِنكم كما يُعامِلُ الأَبُ أَولادَه، كما تَعلَمون

فوَعَظْناكم وشَدَّدْناكم وناشَدْناكم أَن تَسيروا سيرةً جَديرةً بِاللهِ الَّذي يَدْعوكم إِلى مَلَكوتِه ومَجْدِه

ولِذٰلِكَ فإِنَّنا لا نَنفَكُّ نَشكُرُ اللهَ على أَنَّكم، لَمَّا تَلقَّيتُم ما أَسمَعْناكم مِن كَلِمَةِ الله، لم تَتَقَبَّلوه تَقَبُّلَكم لِكَلِمَةِ بَشَر، بل لِكَلِمَةِ اللهِ حَقًّا تَعمَلُ فيكم أَنتُمُ المُؤمِنين

فٱقتَدَيتُم، أَيُّها الإِخوَة، بِالكَنائِسِ الَّتي بِاليَهودِيَّة، في المسيحِ يسوع. فقَد عانَيتُم أَنتُم أَيضًا مِن أَبناءِ وطَنِكم ما عانى أُولٰئِك مِنَ اليَهود

فهمُ الَّذينَ قَتَلوا الرَّبَّ يسوعَ والأَنبِياءَ وٱضطَهَدونا، وهمُ الَّذينَ لا يُرْضونَ اللهَ ويُعادونَ جَميعَ النَّاس

فيَمنَعونَنا أَن نُكَلِّمَ الوَثَنِيِّينَ لِيَنالوا الخَلاص، فيَبلُغونَ بِخَطاياهم إِلى أَقْصى حَدٍّ دائِمًا أَبَدًا، ولٰكِنَّ الغَضَبَ نَزَلَ علَيهِم آخِرَ الأَمْر

أَمَّا نَحنُ، أَيُّها الإِخوَة، فإِنَّ ٱنفِصالَنا عَنكم حينًا، بِالوَجْهِ لا بِالقَلْب، زادَنا تَطَلُّعًا إِلى رُؤيَةِ وَجهِكم لِشِدَّةِ شَوقِنا إِلَيكم

ولِذٰلك أَرَدْنا أَن نَجيءَ إِلَيكم، وأَرَدتُ أَنا بولُسَ ذٰلِكَ مَرَّةً، بل مَرَّتَين، فعاقَنا الشَّيطان

فمَن هو رَجاؤُنا وفَرَحُنا وإِكليلُ فَخْرِنا عِندَ رَبِّنا يسوعَ يَومَ مَجيئِه؟ أَوَما هو أَنتُم؟

بَلى، أَنتُم مَجْدُنا وفَرَحُنا