1 PAUL, and aSilvanus
, and bTimotheus
, cunto
the dchurch
of the eThessalonians
which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We give athanks
to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;
3 Remembering without ceasing your work of afaith
, and blabour
of love, and cpatience
of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
4 Knowing, brethren abeloved
, your belection
of God.
5 For our agospel
bcame
not unto you in cword
only, but also in dpower
, and in the eHoly
Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what fmanner
of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And ye became afollowers
of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much baffliction
, with cjoy
of the Holy Ghost:
7 So that ye were aensamples
to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every aplace
your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from aidols
to serve the bliving
and true God;
10 And to wait for his Son from aheaven
, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which bdelivered
us from the cwrath
to come.
1 FOR yourselves, brethren, know our aentrance
in unto you, that it was not in vain:
2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully aentreated
, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to bspeak
unto you the gospel of God with much contention.
3 For our exhortation was not of adeceit
, nor of uncleanness, nor in bguile
:
4 But as we were aallowed
of God to be bput
in ctrust
with the gospel, even so we dspeak
; not as epleasing
men, but God, which ftrieth
our hearts.
5 For neither at any time used we aflattering
words, as ye know, nor a cloke of bcovetousness
; God is witness:
6 Nor of men sought we aglory
, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own asouls
, because ye were dear unto us.
9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and atravail
: for blabouring
night and day, because we would not be cchargeable
unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
10 Ye are
awitnesses
, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his achildren
,
12 That ye would awalk
bworthy
of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
13 For this cause also athank
we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
14 For ye, brethren, became afollowers
of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have bsuffered
like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
15 Who both akilled
the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:
16 aForbidding
us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins balway
: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your aface
with great desire.
18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his acoming
?
20 For ye are our glory and joy.
1 WHEREFORE when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at aAthens
alone;
2 And sent aTimotheus
, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to bestablish
you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:
3 That no man should be amoved
by these bafflictions
: for yourselves know that we are cappointed
thereunto.
4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.
5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the atempter
have btempted
you, and our labour be in vain.
6 But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:
7 Therefore, brethren, we were acomforted
over you in all our baffliction
and distress by your faith:
8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.
9 For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the ajoy
wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your aface
, and might bperfect
that which is lacking in your faith?
11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
12 And the Lord make you to increase and aabound
in blove
one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the acoming
of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his bsaints
.
1 FURTHERMORE then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have areceived
of us how ye ought to bwalk
and to cplease
God, so ye would dabound
more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments awe
gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your asanctification
, that ye should babstain
from cfornication
:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his avessel
in bsanctification
and honour;
5 Not in the alust
of concupiscence, even as the bGentiles
which cknow
not God:
6 That no man
ago
beyond and defraud his brother in b
any
matter: because that the Lord is the cavenger
of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
7 For God hath not called us unto auncleanness
, but unto holiness.
8 He therefore that adespiseth
, bdespiseth
not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his choly
Spirit.
9 But as touching abrotherly
love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are btaught
of God to clove
one another.
10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
11 And that ye astudy
to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to bwork
with your own chands
, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk ahonestly
toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye asorrow
not, even as others which have no bhope
.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which asleep
in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, athat
bwe
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not cprevent
them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall adescend
from heaven with ba
shout, with the voice of the carchangel
, and with the dtrump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall erise
first:
17 aThen
we which are alive and remain shall be bcaught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the cLord
in the dair
: and so shall we eever
be with the fLord
.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 BUT of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the aday
of the Lord so cometh as a bthief
in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and asafety
; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not bescape
.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in adarkness
, that that bday
should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the achildren
of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not asleep
, as do others; but let us bwatch
and be csober
.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be asober
, putting on the bbreastplate
of cfaith
and love; and for an helmet, the dhope
of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to awrath
, but to obtain bsalvation
by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should alive
together with him.
11 Wherefore acomfort
yourselves together, and bedify
one another, even as also ye do.
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which alabour
among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to aesteem
them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at bpeace
among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, awarn
them that are bunruly
, ccomfort
the dfeebleminded
, esupport
the fweak
, be patient toward all men.
15 See that none arender
bevil
for evil unto any c
man
; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
16 aRejoice
evermore.
17 aPray
without ceasing.
18 In every thing give athanks
: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 aQuench
not the bSpirit
.
20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 aProve
all things; hold fast that which is good.
22 aAbstain
from all bappearance
of cevil
.
23 And the very God of peace asanctify
you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with an holy akiss
.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.