11 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 .
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers ; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and [1] steadfastness of hope [2]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father , 4 knowing , brethren beloved by God , His choice of you; 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 [3]proved to be among you for your sake .
6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord , having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit , 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia . 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia , but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth , so that we have no need to say anything . 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a [4] reception we had [5]with you, and how you turned to God from [6]idols to serve [7] a living and true God , 10 and to wait for His Son from [8]heaven , whom He raised from the dead , that is Jesus , who rescues us from the wrath to come .
21 For you yourselves know , brethren , that our coming to you was not in vain , 2 but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi , as you know , we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition . 3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit ; 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel , so we speak , not as pleasing men , but God who examines our hearts . 5 For we never e came with flattering speech , as you know , nor with a pretext for greed - God is witness - 6 nor did we seek glory from men , either from you or from others , even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted e our authority .
7 But we proved to be gentle among e you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children . 8 Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives , because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you recall , brethren , our labor and hardship , how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God . 10 You are witnesses , and so is God , how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers ; 11 just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children , 12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory .
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 men , but for what it really is, the word of God , which also performs its work in you who believe . 14 For you, brethren , 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 , 15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets , and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God , but hostile to all men , 16 hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved ; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins . But wrath has come upon them to the utmost .
17 But we, brethren , having been taken away from you for a short e while - in person , not in spirit -were all the more eager with great desire to see your face . 18 For we wanted to come to you-I, Paul , more e than once -and yet Satan hindered us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation ? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming ? 20 For you are our glory and joy .
31 Therefore when we could endure it no longer , we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone , 2 and we sent Timothy , our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ , to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith , 3 so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions ; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this . 4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction ; and so it came to pass , as you know . 5 For this reason , when I could 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 in vain .
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love , and that you always think e kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason , brethren , in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith ; 8 for now we really live , if you stand firm in the Lord . 9 For what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God on your account , 10 as we night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may see your face , and may complete what is lacking in your faith ?
11 Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; 12 and may the Lord cause e you to increase and abound in love for one another , and for all people , just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints .
41 Finally then , brethren , we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus , that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk ), that you excel still more . 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus . 3 For this is the will of God , your sanctification ; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality ; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor , 5 not in lustful passion , like the Gentiles who do not know God ; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things , just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity , but in sanctification . 8 So , he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now as to the love of the brethren , you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another ; 10 for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia . But we urge you, brethren , to excel still more , 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 commanded you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders e and not be in any need .
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed , brethren , about those who are asleep , so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope . 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again , even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus . 15 For this we say 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 . 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout , with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God , and the dead in Christ will rise first . 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air , and so we shall always be with the Lord . 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words .
51 Now as to the times and the epochs , brethren , you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night . 3 While they are saying , " Peace and safety !" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child e , and they will not escape . 4 But you, brethren , are not in darkness , that the day would overtake you like a thief ; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day . We are not of night nor of darkness ;
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober . 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night , and those who get drunk get drunk at night . 8 But since we are of the day , let us be sober , having put on the breastplate of faith and love , and as a helmet , the hope of salvation . 9 For God has not destined us for wrath , but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ , 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep , we will live together with Him.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another , just as you also are doing .
12 But we request of you, brethren , that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction , 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work . Live in peace with one another . 14 We urge you, brethren , admonish the unruly , encourage the fainthearted , help the weak , be patient with everyone . 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil , but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people .
16 Rejoice always ; 17 pray without ceasing ; 18 in everything give thanks ; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus . 19 Do not quench the Spirit ; 20 do not despise prophetic utterances . 21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good ; 22 abstain from every form of evil .
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely ; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete , without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass .
25 Brethren , pray for us. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss . 27 I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren . 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
