The Day of the Lord
5 Now concerning the ftimes and the seasons, brothers,1 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 jchildren2 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,3 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.
2 Thessalonians
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
2 Now concerning the rcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ and sour being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,1 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 lawlessness2 is revealed, the son of destruction,3 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 lfirstfruits4 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
3 Finally, brothers,1 upray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,2 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.3 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.4
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.
1 Timothy
Greeting
1 Paul, an aapostle of Christ Jesus bby command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our chope,
2 To Timothy, dmy true child in the faith:
eGrace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers
3 fAs I urged you gwhen I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to hteach any different doctrine, 4 nor to devote themselves to imyths and endless jgenealogies, which promote kspeculations rather than the lstewardship1 from God that is by faith. 5 The aim of our charge is mlove that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a nsincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by oswerving from these, have pwandered away into qvain discussion, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, rwithout understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
8 Now we know that sthe law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, tfor the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for uthose who strike their fathers and mothers, for vmurderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, wenslavers,2 liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to xsound3 doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the yblessed God with which I have been zentrusted.
Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners
12 aI thank him who has given me bstrength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, cappointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, dpersecutor, and insolent opponent. But I ereceived mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me fwith the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 gThe saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that hChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, iof whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received jmercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an kexample to those who were to lbelieve in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, mimmortal, ninvisible, the oonly God, be honor and glory forever and ever.4 Amen.
18 This charge I pentrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with qthe prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the rgood swarfare, 19 tholding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made ushipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are vHymenaeus and wAlexander, whom I have xhanded over to Satan that they may learn not to yblaspheme.
