⁷ even though as apostles of the Messiah^[a] we might have made such demands. Instead, we were gentle^[b] among you, like a nursing mother tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸ We cared so deeply for you that we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but our very lives. That is how dear you were to us. ⁹ Brothers, you remember our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not become a burden to any of you while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you.