Greetings

1 From:^[a] Paul, Silvanus,^[b] and Timothy.

To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.^[c]

May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[d] be yours!

Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonians

² We always thank God for all of you when we mention you in our prayers. ³ In the presence of our God and Father, we constantly remember how your faith is active,^[e] your love is hard at work,^[f] and your hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah^[g] is enduring.^{[h] 4} Brothers whom God loves, we know that he has chosen you, ⁵ for the gospel we brought^[i] did not come to you in words only, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Indeed,^[j] you know what kind of people we proved to be while we were with you, acting on your behalf.

⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of a great deal of suffering, you welcomed the word with the joy that the Holy Spirit produces.^{[k] 7} As a result, you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ From you the word of the Lord has spread out not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place where your faith in God has become known. As a result, we do not need to say anything about it.

⁹ For people^[l] keep telling us what kind of welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve a living and true God ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son whom he raised from the dead to come back^[m] from heaven. This Jesus is the one who rescues us from the coming wrath.