Greeting

1 From Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

To the church at Thessalonica united with God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

² Good will ^[a] and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonians

³ We always have to thank God for you, brothers and sisters. It’s right to do this because your faith is showing remarkable growth and your love for each other is increasing. ⁴ That’s why we brag in God’s churches about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and suffering you are experiencing. ⁵ Your suffering proves that God’s judgment is right and that you are considered worthy of his kingdom.

⁶ Certainly, it is right for God to give suffering to those who cause you to suffer. ⁷ It is also right for God to give all of us relief from our suffering. He will do this when the Lord Jesus is revealed, ⌞coming⌟ from heaven with his mighty angels in a blazing fire. ⁸ He will take revenge on those who refuse to acknowledge God and on those who refuse to respond to the Good News about our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will pay the penalty by being destroyed forever, by being separated from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious power. ¹⁰ ⌞This will happen⌟ on that day when he comes to be honored among all his holy people and admired by all who have believed in him. This includes you because you believed the testimony we gave you.

¹¹ With this in mind, we always pray that our God will make you worthy of his call. We also pray that through ⌞his⌟ power he will help you accomplish every good desire and help you do everything your faith produces. ¹² That way the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored among you. Then, because of the good will of Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, you will be honored by him.