Paul’s First Letter to
the Thessalonians
1:1Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly
of the Thessalonians in God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and
peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
1:2We always give thanks to God for all of
you, mentioning you in our prayers, 1:3remembering without
ceasing your work of faith and labor of
love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus
Christ, before our God and Father. 1:4We know, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen, 1:5and that our Gospel came to you not in
word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You
know what kind of men we showed ourselves
to be among you for your sake. 1:6You became imitators of us, and of the
Lord, having received the word in much affliction,
with joy of the Holy Spirit, 1:7so that you became an example to all who
believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8For from you has
sounded forth the word of the Lord, not
only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in
every place your faith toward God has gone
forth; so that we need not to say anything.
1:9For they themselves report concerning
us what kind of a reception we had from
you; and how you turned to God from idols,
to serve a living and true God, 1:10and to wait for
his Son from heaven, whom he raised from
the dead-- Jesus, who delivers us from the
wrath to come.
2:1For you yourselves know, brothers, our
visit to you wasn't in vain, 2:2but having suffered
before and been shamefully treated, as you
know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God
to tell you the Gospel of God in much conflict.
2:3For our exhortation is not of error, nor
of uncleanness, nor in deception. 2:4But even as we have
been approved by God to be entrusted with
the Gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing
men, but God, who tests our hearts. 2:5For neither were
we at any time found using words of flattery,
as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness
(God is witness), 2:6nor seeking glory
from men (neither from you nor from others),
when we might have claimed authority as
apostles of Christ. 2:7But we were gentle
among of you, as when a nurse cherishes
her own children.
2:8Even so, affectionately longing for you,
we were well pleased to impart to you, not
the Gospel of God only, but also our own
souls, because you had become very dear
to us. 2:9For you remember, brothers, our labor
and travail; for working night and day,
that we might not burden any of you, we
preached to you the Gospel of God. 2:10You are witnesses
with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly
we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.
2:11As you know how
we exhorted, comforted, and implored every
one of you, as a father does his own children,
2:12to the end that you should walk worthily
of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom
and glory. 2:13For this cause we also thank God without
ceasing, that, when you received from us
the word of the message of God, you accepted
it not as the word of men, but, as it is
in truth, the word of God, which also works
in you who believe. 2:14For you, brothers, became imitators of
the assemblies of God which are in Judea
in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the
same things from your own countrymen, even
as they did from the Jews; 2:15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their
own prophets, and drove us out, and didn't
please God, and are contrary to all men;
2:16forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles
that they may be saved; to fill up their
sins always. But wrath has come on them
to the uttermost.
2:17But we, brothers, being bereaved of you
for a short season, in presence, not in
heart, tried even harder to see your face
with great desire, 2:18because we wanted
to come to you--indeed, I, Paul, once and
again-- but Satan hindered us. 2:19For what is our hope, or joy, or crown
of rejoicing? Isn't it even you, before
our Lord Jesus* at
his coming? 2:20For you are our glory and our joy.
3:1Therefore, when we couldn't stand it any
longer, we thought it good to be left behind
at Athens alone, 3:2and sent Timothy, our brother and God's
servant in the Gospel of Christ, to establish
you, and to comfort you concerning your
faith; 3:3that no one be moved by these afflictions.
For you know that we are appointed to this
task. 3:4For most assuredly, when we were with
you, we told you beforehand that we are
to suffer affliction, even as it happened,
and you know. 3:5For this cause I also, when I couldn't
stand it any longer, sent that I might know
your faith, for fear that by any means the
tempter had tempted you, and our labor would
have been in vain. 3:6But when Timothy came just now to us from
you, and brought us glad news of your faith
and love, and that you have good memories
of us always, longing to see us, even as
we also long to see you; 3:7for this cause, brothers, we were comforted
over you in all our distress and affliction
through your faith. 3:8For now we live, if you stand fast in
the Lord. 3:9For what thanksgiving can we render again
to God for you, for all the joy with which
we rejoice for your sakes before our God;
3:10night and day praying exceedingly that
we may see your face, and may perfect that
which is lacking in your faith? 3:11Now may our God and Father himself, and
our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to
you; 3:12and the Lord make you to increase and
abound in love one toward another, and toward
all men, even as we also do toward you,
3:13to the end he may establish your hearts
blameless in holiness before our God and
Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his saints.
4:1Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort
you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received
from us how you ought to walk and to please
God, that you abound more and more. 4:2For you know what charge we gave you through
the Lord Jesus. 4:3For this is the will of God: your sanctification,
that you abstain from sexual immorality,
4:4that each one of you know how to possess
himself of his own vessel in sanctification
and honor, 4:5not in the passion of lust, even as the
Gentiles who don't know God; 4:6that no one should
take advantage of and wrong a brother or
sister in this matter; because the Lord
is an avenger in all these things, as also
we forewarned you and testified. 4:7For God called us not for uncleanness,
but in sanctification. 4:8Therefore he who
rejects doesn't reject man, but God, who
has also given his Holy Spirit to you.
4:9But concerning brotherly love, you have
no need that one write to you. For you yourselves
are taught by God to love one another, 4:10for indeed you do it toward all the brothers
who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort
you, brothers, that you abound more and
more; 4:11and that you make it your ambition to
lead a quiet life, and to do your own business,
and to work with your own hands, even as
we charged you; 4:12that you may walk
properly toward those who are outside, and
may have need of nothing.
4:13But we don't want you to be ignorant,
brothers, concerning those who have fallen
asleep, so that you don't grieve like the
rest, who have no hope. 4:14For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so
those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will
God bring with him. 4:15For this we tell
you by the word of the Lord, that we who
are alive, who are left to the coming of
the Lord, will in no way precede those who
have fallen asleep. 4:16For the Lord himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead
in Christ will rise first, 4:17then we who are
alive, who are left, will be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air. So we will be with the Lord
forever. 4:18Therefore comfort one another with these
words.
5:1But concerning the times and the seasons,
brothers, you have no need that anything
be written to you. 5:2For you yourselves know well that the
day of the Lord comes like a thief in the
night. 5:3For when they are
saying, "Peace and safety," then
sudden destruction will come on them, like
birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they
will in no way escape. 5:4But you, brothers, aren't in darkness,
that the day should overtake you like a
thief. 5:5You are all children of light, and children
of the day. We don't belong to the night,
nor to darkness, 5:6so then let's not sleep, as the rest do,
but let's watch and be sober. 5:7For those who sleep,
sleep in the night, and those who are drunken
are drunken in the night. 5:8But let us, since we belong to the day,
be sober, putting on the breastplate of
faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope
of salvation. 5:9For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but
to the obtaining of salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ, 5:10who died for us, that, whether we wake
or sleep, we should live together with him.
5:11Therefore exhort
one another, and build each other up, even
as you also do. 5:12But we beg you, brothers, to know those
who labor among you, and are over you in
the Lord, and admonish you, 5:13and to respect and honor them in love
for their work's sake.
Be at peace among yourselves. 5:14We exhort you,
brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage
the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient
toward all. 5:15See that no one
returns evil for evil to anyone, but always
follow after that which is good, for one
another, and for all.
5:16Rejoice always. 5:17Pray without ceasing. 5:18In everything give thanks, for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
5:19Don't quench the
Spirit. 5:20Don't despise prophesies. 5:21Test all things, and hold firmly that
which is good. 5:22Abstain from every form of evil.
5:23May the God of peace himself sanctify
you completely. May your whole spirit, soul,
and body be preserved blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24Faithful is he who calls you, who will
also do it. 5:25Brothers, pray for us. 5:26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
5:27I solemnly charge you by the Lord that
this letter be read to all the holy brothers.
5:28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you. Amen.
Notes:
[1] back
to 1:4 The word for "brothers"
here and where context allows may also be
correctly translated "brothers and
sisters" or "siblings."
[2] back
to 2:19 TR adds "Christ"
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