Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the hard times we had in Asia Minor. We were having a lot of trouble. It was far more than we could stand. We even thought we were going to die.

弟兄们，我们不要你们不晓得，我们从前在亚细亚遭遇苦难，被压太重，力不能胜，甚至连活命的指望都绝了；

弟兄们，我们不要你们不知道，我们从前在亚细亚遭遇苦难，因受到无法忍受的压力，甚至连活命的指望都没有了。

弟兄们，我们不要你们不知道，我们从前在亚细亚遭遇苦难，因受到无法忍受的压力，甚至连活命的指望都没有了。

弟兄姊妹，希望你们知道我们在亚细亚所遭遇的苦难。那时我们承受极大的压力，超过了我们的极限，甚至连活命的指望都没了。

弟兄们，我们在亚西亚遭受的患难，我们很想让你们知道。那时我们受到了过于我们所能忍受的压力，甚至活下去的希望都没有了，

弟兄们，我们不愿意你们不明白我们在亚细亚省所遭受的患难：我们所受的压力远远过于我们的承受能力，甚至连活下去的希望也没有了。

弟兄們，我們不要你們不曉得，我們從前在亞細亞遭遇苦難，被壓太重，力不能勝，甚至連活命的指望都絕了；

弟兄們，我們不要你們不知道，我們從前在亞細亞遭遇苦難，因受到無法忍受的壓力，甚至連活命的指望都沒有了。

弟兄們，我們不要你們不知道，我們從前在亞細亞遭遇苦難，因受到無法忍受的壓力，甚至連活命的指望都沒有了。

弟兄姊妹，希望你們知道我們在亞細亞所遭遇的苦難。那時我們承受極大的壓力，超過了我們的極限，甚至連活命的指望都沒了。

弟兄們，我們在亞西亞遭受的患難，我們很想讓你們知道。那時我們受到了過於我們所能忍受的壓力，甚至活下去的希望都沒有了，

弟兄們，我們不願意你們不明白我們從前在亞西亞所受的苦難，就是：極受重壓，出於力所能勝之外，甚至到了絕望，連活着的希望都沒有；

弟兄們，我們不願意你們不明白我們在亞細亞省所遭受的患難：我們所受的壓力遠遠過於我們的承受能力，甚至連活下去的希望也沒有了。

兄弟乎、我欲爾知、我在亞西亞遭難、見壓特甚、勢不克勝、至絕生望、

吾欲兄弟知、吾在亞西亞遭苦、見壓特甚、勢不可當、欲保生命、已絕其望、

兄弟、我不欲爾不知、我在亞西亞遭難、被迫特甚、勢不可當、致絕保生命之望、

吾儕在亞西亞所遭遇之患難、不欲兄弟不之知也。當時吾儕所受之困阨、實非人力之所能當者、且自謂必不能倖免矣。

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.

We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed— beyond our strength— so that we even despaired of life itself.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed— beyond our strength— so that we even despaired of life.

For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.

For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life.

Did I fight wild animals in Ephesus with nothing more than human hopes? Then what have I gotten for it? If the dead are not raised,“ Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we will die.”( Isaiah 22:13)

Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn’t come from us.We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn’t make us lose hope.Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out.We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies.We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. This happens so that his life can also be shown in our earthly bodies.Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.

A door has opened wide for me to do some good work here. There are many people who oppose me.

You already have everything you want, don’t you? Have you already become rich? Have you already begun to rule? And did you do that without us? I wish that you really had begun to rule. Then we could also rule with you!

At that time many people became very upset about the Way of Jesus.There was a man named Demetrius who made things out of silver. He made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. He brought in a lot of business for the other skilled workers there.One day he called them together. He also called others who were in the same kind of business.“ My friends,” he said,“ you know that we make good money from our work.You have seen and heard what this fellow Paul is doing. He has talked to large numbers of people here in Ephesus. Almost everywhere in Asia Minor he has led people away from our gods. He says that the gods made by human hands are not gods at all.Our work is in danger of losing its good name. People’s faith in the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be weakened. Now she is worshiped all over Asia Minor and the whole world. But soon she will be robbed of her greatness.”When they heard this, they became very angry. They began shouting,“ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”Soon people were making trouble in the whole city. They all rushed into the theater. They dragged Gaius and Aristarchus along with them. These two men had come with Paul from Macedonia.Paul wanted to appear in front of the crowd. But the believers wouldn’t let him.Some of the officials in Asia Minor were friends of Paul. They sent him a message, begging him not to go into the theater.The crowd didn’t know what was going on. Some were shouting one thing and some another. Most of the people didn’t even know why they were there.The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front. They tried to tell him what to say. But he motioned for them to be quiet. He was about to give the people reasons for his actions.But then they realized that he was a Jew. So they all shouted the same thing for about two hours.“ Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” they yelled.The city clerk quieted the crowd down.“ People of Ephesus!” he said.“ The city of Ephesus guards the temple of the great Artemis. The whole world knows this. They know that Ephesus guards her statue, which fell from heaven.

But David strongly disagreed. He said,“ Your father knows very well that you are pleased with me. He has said to himself,‘ I don’t want Jonathan to know I’m planning to kill David. If he finds out, he’ll be very sad.’ But I’m very close to being killed. And that’s just as sure as the Lord and you are alive.”

David thought,“ Some day Saul will destroy me. So the best thing I can do is escape. I’ll go to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop looking for me everywhere in Israel. His hand won’t be able to reach me.”