Now I exhort you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to contend along with me in your prayers on my behalf to God,

For God [is] my witness, that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

But [when] we were made orphans by separation from you, brothers, for {a short time} (in face, not in heart), [we were] even more eager with great desire to see your face,

Therefore [when we] could bear [it] no longer, we determined to be left behind in Athens alone,

Being

serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews--

because the Lamb [who is] in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and will lead them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist [any] longer, and mourning or wailing or pain will not exist [any] longer. The former [things] have passed away."

Filled

Those who sow with tears shall reap with rejoicing.

to {give} for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, [the] oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And {they will be called} oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.

"Then [the] young woman will rejoice in [the] dancing in a ring, and [the] young men and [the] old men together. And I will turn their mourning to jubilation, and I will comfort them, and I will gladden them from their sorrow.

So you also are experiencing sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.

And these [things] we write, in order that our joy may be complete.

General references

Make haste to come to me quickly.