Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 aWe give thanks to God always for all of you, bconstantly1 mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your cwork of dfaith and labor of elove and steadfastness of fhope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, gbrothers2 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also hin power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. iYou know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you jbecame imitators of us and of the Lord, for kyou received the word in much affliction, with the ljoy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has mthe word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but nyour ofaith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of preception we had among you, and how you qturned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to rwait for his Son sfrom heaven, whom the raised from the dead, Jesus who udelivers us from the vwrath to come.
Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians
1 For you yourselves know, brothers,3 that our wcoming to you was not xin vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated yat Philippi, as you know, we had zboldness in our God ato declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved bby God to be centrusted with the gospel, so we speak, dnot to please man, but to please God who etests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery,4 as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—fGod is witness. 6 Nor did we gseek glory from people, whether from you or from others, hthough we could have made demands as iapostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle5 among you, jlike a knursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God lbut also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
9 For you remember, brothers, our mlabor and toil: we worked night and day, nthat we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 oYou are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and pcharged you to qwalk in a manner worthy of God, who rcalls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13 And we also thank God sconstantly6 for this, that when you received the word of God, which you theard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men7 but as what it really is, the word of God, which is uat work in you believers. 14 For you, brothers, vbecame imitators of wthe churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For xyou suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,8 15 ywho killed both the Lord Jesus and the zprophets, and adrove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to bfill up the measure of their sins. But cwrath has come upon them at last!9
Paul’s Longing to See Them Again
17 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to dsee you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our ehope or fjoy or crown of gboasting before our Lord Jesus at his hcoming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, iwe were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and jwe sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker10 in the gospel of Christ, to kestablish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that lwe are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, mjust as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the ntempter had tempted you and our labor would be oin vain.
Timothy’s Encouraging Report
6 But pnow that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and qlove and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers,11 in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are rstanding fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly snight and day that we may tsee you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, udirect our way to you, 12 and may the Lord vmake you increase and abound in love wfor one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that xhe may yestablish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the zcoming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
A Life Pleasing to God
1 Finally, then, brothers,12 awe ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that bas you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what cinstructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For dthis is the will of God, your esanctification:13 that you abstain from fsexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body14 in gholiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of hlust ilike the Gentiles who jdo not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an kavenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who lgives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning brotherly love myou have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been ntaught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live oquietly, and to pmind your own affairs, and to qwork with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and rbe dependent on no one.
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are sasleep, that you may not grieve as others do who thave no uhope. 14 For vsince we believe wthat Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,15 that xwe who are alive, who are left until the ycoming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For zthe Lord himself will descend afrom heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the btrumpet of God. And cthe dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them din the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 eTherefore encourage one another with these words.
The Day of the Lord
1 Now concerning the ftimes and the seasons, brothers,16 gyou have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come hlike a thief in the night. 3 While people are isaying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all jchildren17 of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us kkeep awake and lbe sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having mput on the nbreastplate of ofaith and love, and for a phelmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for qwrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 rTherefore encourage one another and sbuild one another up, just as you are doing.
Final Instructions and Benediction
12 We ask you, brothers, to trespect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. uBe at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the vidle,18 encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be wpatient with them all. 15 xSee that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always yseek to do good zto one another and to everyone. 16 aRejoice always, 17 pray bwithout ceasing, 18 cgive thanks in all circumstances; for dthis is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 eDo not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise fprophecies, 21 but gtest everything; hhold fast what is good. 22 iAbstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself jsanctify you completely, and may your kwhole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the lcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; mhe will surely do it.
25 Brothers, npray for us.
26 oGreet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27 I put you under oath before the Lord pto have this letter read to all the brothers.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3 aWe ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the blove of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves cboast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in dall your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
The Judgment at Christ’s Coming
5 This is eevidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be fconsidered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to grepay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, hwhen the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven iwith his mighty angels 8 jin flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who kdo not know God and on lthose who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from2 the presence of the Lord and mfrom the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, nbecause our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of ohis calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every pwork of faith by his power, 12 so that the qname of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Man of Lawlessness
1 Now concerning the rcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ and sour being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,3 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or talarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter useeming to be from us, to the effect that the vday of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the wrebellion comes first, and the xman of lawlessness4 is revealed, the son of destruction,5 4 who opposes and yexalts himself against every zso-called god or object of worship, aso that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is balready at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill cwith the breath of his dmouth and bring to nothing by the eappearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false fsigns and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore gGod sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that hall may be condemned who idid not believe the truth but jhad pleasure in unrighteousness.
Stand Firm
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, kbrothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the lfirstfruits6 to be saved, through msanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he ncalled you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, brothers, ostand firm and hold to the ptraditions that you were taught by us, qeither by our spoken word or by our letter.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good rhope through grace, 17 scomfort your hearts and testablish them in every good work and word.
Pray for Us
1 Finally, brothers,7 upray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,8 vas happened among you, 2 and that we may be wdelivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and xguard you against the evil one.9 4 And ywe have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we zcommand. 5 May the Lord adirect your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
Warning Against Idleness
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you bkeep away from any brother who is walking in cidleness and not in accord with the dtradition that you received from us. 7 For eyou yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and flabor we worked night and day, gthat we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 hIt was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but ibusybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work jquietly and to earn their own living.10
13 As for you, brothers, kdo not grow weary lin doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 mDo not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
Benediction
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself ngive you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 oI, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of pgenuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
