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But after all our attempts to come to you were frustrated, we decided it was best for Silvanus[a] and me to stay behind in Athens by ourselves and to send Timothy (our dear brother [and servant of God],[b] our partner in the good news of the Anointed One) to strengthen, comfort, and encourage you in your faith so that you won’t be shaken by the sufferings and wither under this stress that we know lies ahead. Certainly you remember that when we were with you, we warned you of the suffering we would have to endure; now, as you well know, it has happened. This is why I couldn’t stand it anymore and sent Timothy to report on the state of your faith: because I was worried the tempter had tested you and, if so, all of our hard work would have come to nothing.

You can imagine my relief and joy when Timothy returned to us with such good news about you, about your faith and love for us, about how you have such good memories of us and long to see us as much as we long to see you. Hearing this about your faith, brothers and sisters, brought comfort to us in our stress-filled days of trouble and suffering. For if you are set firmly in the Lord, then we can truly live. What thanks would ever be enough to offer God about you for all the jubilant celebration we’ll feel before our God because of you? 10 We remain vigilant in our prayers, night and day praying to once again see your faces and to help complete whatever may be lacking in your faith.

It is obvious Paul loves Jesus, and His Spirit reinforces Paul in every way. How else is he able to walk away from beating after beating or endure trials of the heart and mind? He must constantly be praying for those he can and can’t reach, for those he is with and for those he has to leave behind. Paul loves Jesus, and so he cannot help but embrace the world as passionately as he does.

11 May God Himself, our Father, along with our Lord Jesus, [the Anointed One,][c] navigate our way to you. 12 May the Lord flood you with an unending, undying love for one another and for all humanity, like our love for you, 13 so that your hearts will be reinforced with His strength, held blameless and holy before God, our Father, when our Lord Jesus, [the Anointed, the Liberating King,][d] appears along with all His holy ones. [Amen.][e]

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Silvanus is better known in Acts as Silas.
  2. 3:2 Some manuscripts omit this portion.
  3. 3:11 The earliest manuscripts omit this portion.
  4. 3:13 The earliest manuscripts omit this portion.
  5. 3:13 Most manuscripts omit this word.

So when we could stand it no longer,(A) we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.(B) We sent Timothy,(C) who is our brother and co-worker(D) in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ,(E) to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.(F) For you know quite well that we are destined for them.(G) In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.(H) For this reason, when I could stand it no longer,(I) I sent to find out about your faith.(J) I was afraid that in some way the tempter(K) had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.(L)

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

But Timothy(M) has just now come to us from you(N) and has brought good news about your faith and love.(O) He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.(P) Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm(Q) in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you(R) in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?(S) 10 Night and day we pray(T) most earnestly that we may see you again(U) and supply what is lacking in your faith.

11 Now may our God and Father(V) himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other(W) and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless(X) and holy in the presence of our God and Father(Y) when our Lord Jesus comes(Z) with all his holy ones.(AA)