The Day of the Lord

5 But concerning ^(A)the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that ^(B)the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then ^(C)sudden destruction comes upon them, ^(D)as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ^4 (E)But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all ^(F)sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ^6 (G)Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but ^(H)let us watch and be ^[a]sober. ⁷ For ^(I)those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk ^(J)are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, ^(K)putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For ^(L)God did not appoint us to wrath, ^(M)but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ^10 (N)who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore ^[b]comfort each other and ^[c]edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Various Exhortations

¹² And we urge you, brethren, ^(O)to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and ^[d]admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. ^(P)Be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴ Now we ^[e]exhort you, brethren, ^(Q)warn those who are ^[f]unruly, ^(R)comfort the fainthearted, ^(S)uphold the weak, ^(T)be patient with all. ^15 (U)See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always ^(V)pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

^16 (W)Rejoice always, ^17 (X)pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

^19 (Y)Do not quench the Spirit. ^20 (Z)Do not despise prophecies. ^21 (AA)Test all things; ^(AB)hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

Blessing and Admonition

²³ Now may ^(AC)the God of peace Himself ^(AD)sanctify^[g] you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body ^(AE)be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is ^(AF)faithful, who also will ^(AG)do it.

²⁵ Brethren, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this ^[h]epistle be read to all the ^[i]holy brethren.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

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

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

God’s Final Judgment and Glory

³ 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, ⁴ 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, ⁵ 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; ^6 (G)since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with ^[c]tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷ and to give you who are troubled ^(H)rest with us when ^(I)the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ 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. ^9 (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.

The Great Apostasy

2 Now, brethren, ^(Q)concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ^(R)and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ^2 (S)not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of ^[e]Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come ^(T)unless the falling away comes first, and ^(U)the man of ^[f]sin is revealed, ^(V)the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and ^(W)exalts himself ^(X)above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits ^[g]as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For ^(Y)the ^[h]mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only ^[i]He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, ^(Z)whom the Lord will consume ^(AA)with the breath of His mouth and destroy ^(AB)with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is ^(AC)according to the working of Satan, with all power, ^(AD)signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among ^(AE)those who perish, because they did not receive ^(AF)the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And ^(AG)for this reason God will send them strong delusion, ^(AH)that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but ^(AI)had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Fast

¹³ But we are ^[j]bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God ^(AJ)from the beginning ^(AK)chose you for salvation ^(AL)through ^[k]sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴ to which He called you by our gospel, for ^(AM)the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, ^(AN)stand fast and hold ^(AO)the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our ^[l]epistle.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, ^(AP)who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and ^(AQ)good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts ^(AR)and ^[m]establish you in every good word and work.

Pray for Us

3 Finally, brethren, ^(AS)pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ² and ^(AT)that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; ^(AU)for not all have faith.

³ But ^(AV)the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and ^(AW)guard you from the evil one. ⁴ And ^(AX)we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.

⁵ Now may ^(AY)the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Warning Against Idleness

⁶ But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AZ)that you withdraw ^(BA)from every brother who walks ^(BB)disorderly and not according to the tradition which ^[n]he received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s bread ^[o]free of charge, but worked with ^(BC)labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹ not because we do not have ^(BD)authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are ^(BE)busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and ^[p]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ ^(BF)that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³ But as for you, brethren, ^(BG)do not grow weary in doing good. ¹⁴ And if anyone does not obey our word in this ^[q]epistle, note that person and ^(BH)do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. ^15 (BI)Yet do not count him as an enemy, ^(BJ)but ^[r]admonish him as a brother.

Benediction

¹⁶ Now may ^(BK)the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

^17 (BL)The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every ^[s]epistle; so I write.

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

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

² To Timothy, a ^(A)true son in the faith:

^(B)Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

No Other Doctrine

³ As I urged you ^(C)when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may ^[a]charge some ^(D)that they teach no other doctrine, ^4 (E)nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. ⁵ Now ^(F)the purpose of the commandment is love ^(G)from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from ^[b]sincere faith, ⁶ from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to ^(H)idle talk, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

⁸ But we know that the law is ^(I)good if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, ¹⁰ for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is ^[c]contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the ^(J)blessed God which was ^(K)committed to my trust.

Glory to God for His Grace^(L)

¹² And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has ^(M)enabled me, ^(N)because He counted me faithful, ^(O)putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although ^(P)I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an ^[d]insolent man; but I obtained mercy because ^(Q)I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ^14 (R)And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, ^(S)with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ^15 (T)This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that ^(U)Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. ¹⁶ However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. ¹⁷ Now to ^(V)the King eternal, ^(W)immortal, ^(X)invisible, to ^[e]God ^(Y)who alone is wise, ^(Z)be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Fight the Good Fight

¹⁸ This ^[f]charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, ¹⁹ having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, ²⁰ of whom are ^(AA)Hymenaeus and ^(AB)Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to ^(AC)blaspheme.