1 Thessalonians 2:9-20

King James Version

⁹For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

¹⁰Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

¹¹As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

¹²That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

¹³For this cause also thank 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.

¹⁴For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

¹⁵Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

¹⁶Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

¹⁷But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

¹⁸Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.

¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

²⁰For ye are our glory and joy.

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1 Thessalonians 2:9-20

New International Version

⁹Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(A) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(B) while we preached the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰You are witnesses,^(C) and so is God,^(D) of how holy,^(E) righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ¹¹For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,^(F) ¹²encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy^(G) of God, who calls^(H) you into his kingdom and glory.

¹³And we also thank God continually^(I) because, when you received the word of God,^(J) which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators^(K) of God’s churches in Judea,^(L) which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own people^(M) the same things those churches suffered from the Jews ¹⁵who killed the Lord Jesus^(N) and the prophets^(O) and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to everyone ¹⁶in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles^(P) so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.^(Q) The wrath of God has come upon them at last.^[a]

Paul’s Longing to See the Thessalonians

¹⁷But, brothers and sisters, when we were orphaned by being separated from you for a short time (in person, not in thought),^(R) out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.^(S) ¹⁸For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, did, again and again—but Satan^(T) blocked our way.^(U) ¹⁹For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown^(V) in which we will glory^(W) in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?^(X) Is it not you? ²⁰Indeed, you are our glory^(Y) and joy.

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Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 2:16 Or them fully

1 Thessalonians 2:9-20

New King James Version

⁹For you remember, brethren, our ^(A)labor and toil; for laboring night and day, ^(B)that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

¹⁰^(C)You are witnesses, and God also, ^(D)how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; ¹¹as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and ^[a]charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, ¹²^(E)that you would walk worthy of God ^(F)who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Their Conversion

¹³For this reason we also thank God ^(G)without ceasing, because when you ^(H)received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it ^(I)not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively ^(J)works in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brethren, became imitators ^(K)of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For ^(L)you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, ¹⁵^(M)who killed both the Lord Jesus and ^(N)their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God ^(O)and are ^[b]contrary to all men, ¹⁶^(P)forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always ^(Q)to fill up the measure of their sins; ^(R)but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

Longing to See Them

¹⁷But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time ^(S)in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but ^(T)Satan hindered us. ¹⁹For ^(U)what is our hope, or joy, or ^(V)crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the ^(W)presence of our Lord Jesus Christ ^(X)at His coming? ²⁰For you are our glory and joy.