我保羅同西拉和提摩太寫信給帖撒羅尼迦屬於我們父上帝和主耶穌基督的教會。

願我們的父上帝和主耶穌基督賜給你們恩典和平安!

感恩與勸勉

弟兄姊妹,我們應當為你們常常感謝上帝,這是合宜的,因為你們的信心不斷增長,彼此相愛的心也不斷增加。 因此,我們在上帝的眾教會中誇獎你們在各種迫害和患難中的堅忍和信心。 你們這種表現正是上帝公義審判的明證,使你們配進上帝的國,你們正在為這國受苦。

上帝是公義的,祂必以患難來報應那些迫害你們的人。 當主耶穌和祂大能的天使在烈焰中從天上顯現時,祂必使你們這些受苦的人和我們同得安慰, 懲罰那些不認識上帝、不聽從有關我們主耶穌之福音的人。 那些人要受的刑罰就是離開主的面和祂榮耀的權能,永遠滅亡。 10 主降臨的那日,祂要在祂的眾聖徒中得到榮耀,使所有的信徒驚歎不已。你們也會在當中,因為你們相信了我們做的見證。

11 因此,我們常常為你們禱告,願我們的上帝看你們配得祂的呼召,用大能成全你們一切美好的心願和憑信心所做的工作。 12 這樣,按照我們的上帝和主耶穌基督所賜的恩典,主耶穌基督的名便在你們身上得到榮耀,你們也在祂身上得到榮耀。

Greeting

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

(A)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, so that (B)we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God (C)for your patience and faith (D)in all your persecutions and [a]tribulations that you endure, which is (E)manifest[b] evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, (F)for which you also suffer; (G)since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with [c]tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled (H)rest with us when (I)the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (J)These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and (K)from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, (L)to be (M)glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who [d]believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would (N)count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and (O)the work of faith with power, 12 (P)that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 afflictions
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 plain
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:6 affliction
  4. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 NU, M have believed

(A) From Paul, Silas,[a] and Timothy.

To the church in Thessalonica, the people of God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

When Christ Returns

My dear friends, we always have good reason to thank God for you, because your faith in God and your love for each other keep growing all the time. This is why we brag about you to all of God's churches. We tell them how patient you are and how you keep on having faith, even though you are going through a lot of trouble and suffering.

All this shows that God judges fairly and is making you fit to share in his kingdom for which you are suffering. It is only right for God to punish everyone who is causing you trouble, but he will give you relief from your troubles. God will do the same for us, when the Lord Jesus comes from heaven with his powerful angels and with a flaming fire.

Our Lord Jesus will punish anyone who doesn't know God and won't obey his message. (B) Their punishment will be eternal destruction, and they will be kept far from the presence of our Lord and his glorious strength. 10 This will happen on the day when the Lord returns to be praised and honored by all who have faith in him and belong to him. This includes you, because you believed what we said.

11 God chose you, and we keep praying that God will make you worthy of being his people. We pray for God's power to help you do all the good things you hope to do and your faith makes you want to do. 12 Then, because of the undeserved grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, you will bring honor to the name of our Lord Jesus, and he will bring honor to you.

Footnotes

  1. 1.1 Silas: The Greek text has “Silvanus,” which is another form of the name Silas.

Paul, Silas[a](A) and Timothy,(B)

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

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

Thanksgiving and Prayer

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) Therefore, among God’s churches we boast(G) about your perseverance and faith(H) in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.(I)

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. God is just:(L) He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you(M) 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) He will punish(Q) those who do not know God(R) and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.(S) 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]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13.
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 Or God and Lord, Jesus Christ

Salutation

From Paul[a] and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you[b] from God the[c] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,[d] and rightly so,[e] because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

Encouragement in Persecution

This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy[f] of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering. For it is right[g] for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed[h] from heaven with his mighty angels.[i] With flaming fire he will mete out[j] punishment on those who do not know God[k] and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They[l] will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,[m] 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired[n] on that day among all who have believed—and you did in fact believe our testimony.[o] 11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling[p] and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to[q] the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A F G I 0278 1175 1241 1505 2464 M lat sy sa) have ἡμῶν (hēmōn) after πατρός (patros), reading “God our Father,” in apparent emulation of Paul’s almost universal style. The omission of the pronoun (the reading of B D P 0111vid 33 1739 1881 SBL) seems to be the earlier wording of this salutation. As well, the intrinsic evidence also supports the shorter reading: If 2 Thessalonians is authentic, it was one of Paul’s earliest letters, and, if so, his stereotyped salutation was still in embryonic form (see discussion at 1 Thess 1:1). NA28 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
  4. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
  5. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Grk “as is worthy.”
  6. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 tn Grk “so that you may be made worthy.” The passive infinitive καταξιωθῆναι (kataxiōthēnai) has been translated as an active construction in English for stylistic reasons.
  7. 2 Thessalonians 1:6 tn Grk “if in fact/since,” as a continuation of the preceding.
  8. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 tn Grk “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus.”
  9. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 tn Grk “angels of power,” translated as an attributive genitive.
  10. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 tn Grk “meting out,” as a description of Jesus Christ in v. 7. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.
  11. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 sn An allusion to Jer 10:25, possibly also to Ps 79:6 and Isa 66:15.
  12. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Grk “who,” describing the people mentioned in v. 8. A new sentence was started here in the translation by replacing the relative pronoun with a personal pronoun.
  13. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Or “power,” or “might.” The construction can also be translated as an attributed genitive: “from his glorious strength” (cf. TEV “glorious might”; CEV “glorious strength”; NLT “glorious power”).sn An allusion to Isa 2:10, 19, 21.
  14. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 tn Or “marveled at.”
  15. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 tn Grk “because our testimony to you was believed.”
  16. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 tn Or “your calling.”
  17. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 tn Or “by means of.”