| 1:1 |
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. |
| 1:2 |
We always give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; |
| 1:3 |
constantly bearingkeeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastnessperseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, |
| 1:4 |
knowing, brethrenbrothers and sisters, beloved by God, His choice of you; |
| 1:5 |
for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakesakes. |
| 1:6 |
You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word induring muchgreat tribulationaffliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, |
| 1:7 |
so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. |
| 1:8 |
For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone forthout, so that we have no need to say anything. |
| 1:9 |
For they themselves report about us whatas to the kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, |
| 1:10 |
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. |
| 2:1 |
For you yourselves know, brethrenbrothers and sisters, that our comingreception toamong you was not in vain, |
| 2:2 |
but after we had already suffered and been mistreatedtreated abusively in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. |
| 2:4 |
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not asintending pleasingto menplease people, but to please God, who examines our hearts. |
| 2:5 |
For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is our witness— |
| 2:6 |
nor did we seek gloryhonor from menpeople, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we mightcould have asserted our authority as apostles of Christ. |
| 2:7 |
But we proved to be gentle among you,. asAs a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children., |
| 2:8 |
Havingin sothe same way we had a fond an affection for you, weand were well-pleaseddelighted to impartshare towith you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. |
| 2:9 |
For you recall, brethrenbrothers and sisters, our labor and hardship,: howit was by working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. |
| 2:10 |
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly and uprightlyrightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; |
| 2:13 |
For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of mere men, but foras what it really is, the word of God, which also performsis itsat work in you who believe. |
| 2:14 |
For you, brethrenbrothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, |
| 2:15 |
who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all menpeople, |
| 2:16 |
hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fillreach up the measurelimit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmostfully. |
| 2:17 |
But we, brethrenbrothers and sisters, having been takenorphaned away from you by absence for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. |
| 2:18 |
For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us. |
| 2:19 |
For who is our hope, or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even youpride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Or is it not indeed you? |
| 3:1 |
Therefore, when we could no longer endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens alone, |
| 3:2 |
and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you asfor tothe benefit of your faith, |
| 3:3 |
so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions;. forFor you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. |
| 3:4 |
For indeedeven when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to passhappened, as you know. |
| 3:5 |
For this reason, when I could no longer endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be infor vainnothing. |
| 3:7 |
for this reason, brethrenbrothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; |
| 3:9 |
For what thanks can we rendergive to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice because of you before our God on your account, |
| 3:10 |
as we night and day keep praying most earnestly night and day that we may see your facefaces, and may complete what is lacking in your faith? |
| 3:11 |
Now may our God and Father Himself, and Jesus our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you; |
| 3:12 |
and may the Lord cause you to increase and aboundoverflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; |
| 3:13 |
so that He may establish your hearts withoutblameless blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. |
| 4:1 |
Finally then, brethrenbrothers and sisters, we request and exhorturge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel stilleven more. |
| 4:2 |
For you know what commandmentsinstructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. |
| 4:6 |
and that no manone transgressviolate the rights and defraudtake advantage of his brother or sister in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you beforepreviously and solemnly warned you. |
| 4:7 |
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. |
| 4:8 |
SoTherefore, hethe one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. |
| 4:9 |
Now as to the love of the brethrenbrothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; |
| 4:10 |
for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethrenbrothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethrenbrothers and sisters, to excel stilleven more, |
| 4:11 |
and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commandedinstructed you, |
| 4:13 |
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethrenbrothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as doindeed the rest of mankind do, who have no hope. |
| 4:14 |
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose againfrom the dead, even so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep inthrough Jesus. |
| 4:15 |
For this we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. |
| 4:17 |
Then we who are alive, andwho remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shallwill always be with the Lord. |
| 4:18 |
Therefore, comfort one another with these words. |
| 5:1 |
Now as to the timesperiods and the epochstimes, brethrenbrothers and sisters, you have no need of anything to be written to you. |
| 5:2 |
For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord willis comecoming just like a thief in the night. |
| 5:3 |
While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a pregnant woman with child, and they will not escape. |
| 5:4 |
But you, brethrenbrothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief; |
| 5:6 |
so then, let’s us not sleep as others do, but let’s us be alert and sober. |
| 5:7 |
For those who sleep, dosleep their sleeping at night, and those who getare drunk, get drunk at night. |
| 5:8 |
But since we are of the day, let’s us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. |
| 5:11 |
Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another up, just as you also are doing. |
| 5:12 |
But we requestask of you, brethrenbrothers and sisters, thatto yourecognize appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and haveare chargein leadership over you in the Lord, and give you instruction, |
| 5:13 |
and that you esteemregard them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. |
| 5:14 |
We urge you, brethrenbrothers and sisters, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. |
| 5:15 |
See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek afterwhat that which is good for one another and for all people. |
| 5:16 |
Rejoice always;, |
| 5:17 |
pray without ceasing;, |
| 5:18 |
in everything give thanks; for this is God’sthe will of God for you in Christ Jesus. |
| 5:19 |
Do not quench the Spirit;, |
| 5:20 |
do not despiseutterly propheticreject utterances.prophecies, |
| 5:21 |
Butbut examine everything carefully; hold fastfirmly to that which is good;, |
| 5:23 |
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preservedkept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 5:24 |
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bringdo it to pass. |
| 5:25 |
BrethrenBrothers and sisters, pray for us. |
| 5:26 |
Greet all the brethrenbrothers and sisters with a holy kiss. |
| 5:27 |
I adjureput you under oath by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethrenbrothers and sisters. |
| 5:28 |
The May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. |