1 Thessaloniciens 2
1 Car vous-mêmes vous savez, frères, que notre entrée au milieu de vous n’a pas été vaine;
My fellow believers, you know that our time with you was very worthwhile/effective [LIT].
2 mais, après avoir auparavant souffert et avoir été outragés à Philippes, comme vous le savez, nous avons eu toute hardiesse en notre Dieu pour vous annoncer l’évangile de Dieu avec beaucoup de combats.
Although [people] in Philippi [city] previously mistreated us [(exc)] and insulted us, as you know, our God caused us to be courageous. As a result, we told you the good message [that originates/comes from] God, even though some [people in your city] also strongly (opposed [us/tried to prevent us from telling God’s message]).
3 Car notre exhortation n’a eu pour principe ni séduction, ni impureté, et [nous n’y avons] pas [usé] de ruse;
When we exhorted/urged (OR, tried to convince) [you to obey God’s message], we did not tell you an untrue message. Instead, we told you a true message. We do not [want to get something for ourselves] by immoral means. We do not try to deceive [you or other people].
4 mais comme nous avons été approuvés de Dieu pour que l’évangile nous soit confié, nous parlons ainsi, non comme plaisant aux hommes, mais à Dieu qui éprouve nos cœurs.
On the contrary, we tell God’s message because he trusted us to do that, because he examined us and considered us [to be acceptable to tell people] the message about Christ. As we teach people, we do not say what they like to hear. Instead, [we say what] God [wants us to say, because] he examines everything that we think and what we desire.
5 Car aussi nous n’avons jamais usé de parole de flatterie, comme vous le savez, ni de prétexte de cupidité, Dieu en est témoin;
We never (flattered you/said nice things about you insincerely), as you know. We were never greedy, so we never needed to use words to (hide greediness [from you/cause you to think that we were not greedy]). God knows that this is true!
6 et nous n’avons pas cherché la gloire qui vient des hommes, ni de votre part, ni de la part des autres, quand nous aurions pu [vous] être à charge comme apôtres de Christ;
We never tried to get people [to honor us],
7 mais nous avons été doux au milieu de vous. Comme une nourrice chérit ses propres enfants,
although we could have demanded [that you should honor/respect us], because we are apostles [who represent] (OR, [speak for]) Christ. On the contrary, we were gentle when we were among you, as a mother [gently] takes care of her own children [SIM].
8 ainsi, vous étant tendrement affectionnés, nous aurions été tout disposés à vous communiquer non seulement l’évangile de Dieu, mais aussi nos propres vies, parce que vous nous étiez devenus fort chers.
So, because we love you, we were delighted to personally tell you the good message that God [gave us]. But also we were delighted to lovingly do all that we could do to help you [SYN] because (you had become very dear to us/we had begun to love you very much).
9 Car vous vous souvenez, frères, de notre peine et de notre labeur; c’est en travaillant nuit et jour pour n’être à charge à aucun de vous, que nous vous avons prêché l’évangile de Dieu.
My fellow believers, you remember that we worked very hard [DOU] [in order to] ([support ourselves/earn money to buy what we needed]) [while we were with you]. We worked [during the] day and [also at] night in order that we would not have to ask any one of you to give us what we needed, [while] we proclaimed to you the good message that God [gave us].
10 Vous-mêmes, vous êtes témoins, et Dieu aussi, combien nous nous sommes conduits saintement, et justement, et irréprochablement envers vous qui croyez,
You know that it is true, and God knows that it is true, that we conducted our lives in a very pure, right, and faultless [DOU] manner toward you believers.
11 ainsi que vous savez comment [nous avons exhorté] chacun de vous, comme un père ses propres enfants,
You know also that [we lovingly behaved/acted toward] each one of you, just like a father [lovingly behaves/acts toward] his own children [SIM].
12 vous exhortant, et vous consolant, et rendant témoignage, pour que vous marchiez d’une manière digne de Dieu qui vous appelle à son propre royaume et à sa propre gloire.
[Specifically, we] kept strongly exhorting/urging and encouraging you that you conduct your lives in the way that God’s people should, [because] he has invited you to become his people over whom he will rule in a wonderful way [HEN].
13 Et c’est pourquoi aussi nous, nous rendons sans cesse grâces à Dieu de ce que, ayant reçu de nous la parole de la prédication [qui est] de Dieu, vous avez accepté, non la parole des hommes, mais (ainsi qu’elle l’est véritablement) la parole de Dieu, laquelle aussi opère en vous qui croyez.
We also continually thank God because when you heard the message [that] we told to you, you accepted it as the true message, the good message that God [gave to us]. We did not invent it. [We also thank God] that he is changing your lives because you trust this message [PRS].
14 Car vous, frères, vous êtes devenus les imitateurs des assemblées de Dieu qui sont dans la Judée dans le christ Jésus; car vous aussi, vous avez souffert de la part de vos propres compatriotes les mêmes choses qu’elles aussi [ont souffertes] de la part des Juifs,
My fellow believers, we [know that you sincerely believed the message from God], because the manner in which you acted was just like the manner in which [the congregations] in Judea acted. They also [worship] God, [and they] ([have a close relationship with/are united to]) Christ Jesus. Specifically, you endured it [when] your own countrymen [mistreated you because you believe the message from God], in the same manner that those [Jewish believers in Judea] endured it [when] the Jews [who do not believe in Christ mistreated them].
15 qui ont mis à mort et le seigneur Jésus et les prophètes, et qui nous ont chassés par la persécution, et qui ne plaisent pas à Dieu, et qui sont opposés à tous les hommes,
[Unbelieving Jews are] the ones whom God considers guilty [for] killing the Lord Jesus, as well as [for killing] many prophets. Other unbelieving Jews forced us to leave [many towns]. They really make God angry; and [they are] opposed to [what is best for] all human beings!
16 – nous empêchant de parler aux nations afin qu’elles soient sauvées, pour combler toujours la mesure de leurs péchés; mais la colère est venue sur eux au dernier terme.
[Specifically], when we tell [the good message] to non-Jewish people in order that they can be saved {[that God] will save them} [spiritually], these [unbelieving Jews] try to stop/prevent us from doing that. Because they continually sin more and more, they are almost reaching the limit that has been [set by God] [MET]! [God] will soon punish them [MTY], at last, for all their sins!
17 Or pour nous, frères, ayant été séparés de vous pour un temps, de visage et non de cœur, nous avons d’autant plus, avec un fort grand désir, cherché à voir votre visage;
My fellow believers, when for a short time [IDM] [those people forced us to be separated] from you, [we felt like parents] (who had lost all their children/whose children had died) [MET]. [Although] we were far away from you, [we were still] emotionally [concerned about you], and we strongly desired to be present with you.
18 c’est pourquoi nous avons voulu aller vers vous, moi Paul, et une fois et deux fois, et Satan nous en a empêchés.
[You can know that] we wanted to return to you. Indeed I, Paul, [tried to return] twice [IDM]. But [we did not return because] each time Satan [prevented us from returning].
19 Car quelle est notre espérance, ou notre joie, ou la couronne dont nous nous glorifions? N’est-ce pas bien vous devant notre seigneur Jésus, à sa venue?
[We were strongly desiring to be with you], because truly you [RHQ] [are the ones about whom we are proud and joyful]! It is because we are confident that you [will] ([remain faithful/continue believing in God]) that we [will be] joyful! You are the ones who we confidently expect [will keep strongly trusting in God!] It is because you [will] ([remain faithful/continue believing in God]) that we [will] be proud [of the work that we have done] [MET, RHQ] [when] our Lord Jesus [examines what we all have done, at the time] when he comes back [to earth]!
20 Car vous, vous êtes notre gloire et notre joie.
Indeed, it is because of you that [even now we] are pleased and joyful!
