1 Paul, Silas^[a](A) and Timothy,^(B)

To the church of the Thessalonians^(C) in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^(D)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ We ought always to thank God for you,^(E) brothers and sisters,^[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.^{(F) 4} Therefore, among God’s churches we boast^(G) about your perseverance and faith^(H) in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.^(I)

⁵ All this is evidence^(J) that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy^(K) of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ⁶ God is just:^(L) He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you^{(M) 7} and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven^(N) in blazing fire^(O) with his powerful angels.^{(P) 8} He will punish^(Q) those who do not know God^(R) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.^{(S) 9} They will be punished with everlasting destruction^(T) and shut out from the presence of the Lord^(U) and from the glory of his might^{(V) 10} on the day^(W) he comes to be glorified^(X) in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.^(Y)

¹¹ With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,^(Z) that our God may make you worthy^(AA) of his calling,^(AB) and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness^(AC) and your every deed prompted by faith.^{(AD) 12} We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,^(AE) and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.^[c]

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^(AF) and our being gathered to him,^(AG) we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter^(AH)—asserting that the day of the Lord^(AI) has already come.^{(AJ) 3} Don’t let anyone deceive you^(AK) in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion^(AL) occurs and the man of lawlessness^[d] is revealed,^(AM) the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God^(AN) or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.^(AO)

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?^{(AP) 6} And now you know what is holding him back,^(AQ) so that he may be revealed at the proper time. ⁷ For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back^(AR) will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(AS) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(AT) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^{(AU) 9} The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan^(AV) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders^(AW) that serve the lie, ¹⁰ and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.^(AX) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.^{(AY) 11} For this reason God sends them^(AZ) a powerful delusion^(BA) so that they will believe the lie^{(BB) 12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.^(BC)

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you,^(BD) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[e](BE) to be saved^(BF) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(BG) and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you^(BH) to this through our gospel,^(BI) that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm^(BJ) and hold fast to the teachings^[f] we passed on to you,^(BK) whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,^(BL) who loved us^(BM) and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage^(BN) your hearts and strengthen^(BO) you in every good deed and word.

Request for Prayer

3 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(BP) pray for us^(BQ) that the message of the Lord^(BR) may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.^{(BS) 2} And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people,^(BT) for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful,^(BU) and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.^{(BV) 4} We have confidence^(BW) in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts^(BX) into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,^(BY) we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from^(BZ) every believer who is idle and disruptive^(CA) and does not live according to the teaching^[g] you received from us.^{(CB) 7} For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.^(CC) We were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked^(CD) night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help,^(CE) but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.^{(CF) 10} For even when we were with you,^(CG) we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work^(CH) shall not eat.”

¹¹ We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.^{(CI) 12} Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ^(CJ) to settle down and earn the food they eat.^{(CK) 13} And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.^(CL)

¹⁴ Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them,^(CM) in order that they may feel ashamed.^{(CN) 15} Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer.^(CO)

Final Greetings

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace^(CP) himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.^(CQ)

¹⁷ I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand,^(CR) which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.^(CS)

¹¹ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(A) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(B) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^{(C) 12} As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(D)

¹³ But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,^(E) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴ The believers^(F) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas^(G) and Timothy^(H) stayed at Berea. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens^(I) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.^(J)

In Athens

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue^(K) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news^(L) about Jesus and the resurrection.^{(M) 19} Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,^(N) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching^(O) is that you are presenting? ²⁰ You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” ²¹ (All the Athenians^(P) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(Q) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^{(R) 23} For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship^(S)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it^(T) is the Lord of heaven and earth^(U) and does not live in temples built by human hands.^{(V) 25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.^{(W) 26} From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.^{(X) 27} God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.^{(Y) 28} ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[a](Z) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[b]

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.^{(AA) 30} In the past God overlooked^(AB) such ignorance,^(AC) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.^{(AD) 31} For he has set a day when he will judge^(AE) the world with justice^(AF) by the man he has appointed.^(AG) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”^(AH)

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,^(AI) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” ³³ At that, Paul left the Council. ³⁴ Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus,^(AJ) also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

In Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens^(AK) and went to Corinth.^{(AL) 2} There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,^(AM) because Claudius^(AN) had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.^{(AO) 4} Every Sabbath^(AP) he reasoned in the synagogue,^(AQ) trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas^(AR) and Timothy^(AS) came from Macedonia,^(AT) Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.^{(AU) 6} But when they opposed Paul and became abusive,^(AV) he shook out his clothes in protest^(AW) and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads!^(AX) I am innocent of it.^(AY) From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^(AZ)

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.^{(BA) 8} Crispus,^(BB) the synagogue leader,^(BC) and his entire household^(BD) believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:^(BE) “Do not be afraid;^(BF) keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you,^(BG) and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.^(BH)