1 Thessalonians 5:3 - 2 Thessalonians 3:1

English Standard Version

³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then ^(A)sudden destruction will come upon them ^(B)as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you ^(C)are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. ⁵ For you are all ^(D)children^[a] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. ⁶ So then ^(E)let us not sleep, as others do, but let us ^(F)keep awake and ^(G)be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, ^(H)are drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, ^(I)having put on the breastplate of ^(J)faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has not destined us for ^(K)wrath, but ^(L)to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ^10 (M)who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Final Instructions and Benediction

¹² We ask you, brothers, ^(N)to respect those who labor among you and ^(O)are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. ^(P)Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers, admonish ^(Q)the idle,^{[b] (R)}encourage the fainthearted, ^(S)help the weak, ^(T)be patient with them all. ¹⁵ See that ^(U)no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always ^(V)seek to do good to one another and to everyone. ^16 (W)Rejoice always, ^17 (X)pray without ceasing, ^18 (Y)give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ^19 (Z)Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise ^(AA)prophecies, ²¹ but ^(AB)test everything; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

²³ Now may ^(AC)the God of peace himself ^(AD)sanctify you completely, and may your ^(AE)whole ^(AF)spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at ^(AG)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ^24 (AH)He who calls you is faithful; ^(AI)he will surely do it.

^25 (AJ)Brothers, pray for us.

^26 (AK)Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I put you under oath before the Lord to have ^(AL)this letter read to all the brothers.

^28 (AM)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Greeting

1 ^(AN)Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,

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

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

^3 (AO)We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,^[c] as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore ^(AP)we ourselves boast about you ^(AQ)in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith ^(AR)in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ's Coming

⁵ This is ^(AS)evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be ^(AT)considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁶ since indeed God considers it ^(AU)just ^(AV)to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant ^(AW)relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when ^(AX)the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven ^(AY)with his mighty angels ^8 (AZ)in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those ^(BA)who do not know God and on those who ^(BB)do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of ^(BC)eternal destruction, ^(BD)away from^[d] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ^10 (BE)when he comes on ^(BF)that day ^(BG)to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our ^(BH)testimony to you ^(BI)was believed. ¹¹ To this end we ^(BJ)always pray for you, that our God may ^(BK)make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every ^(BL)work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus ^(BM)may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Now concerning ^(BN)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our ^(BO)being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,^{[e] 2} not to be quickly shaken in mind or ^(BP)alarmed, either ^(BQ)by a spirit or a ^(BR)spoken word, or ^(BS)a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that ^(BT)the day of the Lord has come. ^3 (BU)Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, ^(BV)unless the rebellion comes first, and ^(BW)the man of lawlessness^[f] is revealed, ^(BX)the son of destruction,^{[g] 4} who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, ^(BY)proclaiming himself to be God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. ⁷ For ^(BZ)the mystery of lawlessness ^(CA)is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. ⁸ And then ^(CB)the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus ^(CC)will kill with ^(CD)the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by ^(CE)the appearance of his coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan ^(CF)with all power and false signs and wonders, ¹⁰ and with all wicked deception for ^(CG)those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹ Therefore ^(CH)God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe ^(CI)what is false, ¹² in order that all may be condemned ^(CJ)who did not believe the truth but ^(CK)had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Stand Firm

¹³ But ^(CL)we ought always to give thanks to God for you, ^(CM)brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you ^(CN)as the firstfruits^{[h] (CO)}to be saved, ^(CP)through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through ^(CQ)our gospel, ^(CR)so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, ^(CS)stand firm and hold to ^(CT)the traditions that you were taught by us, either ^(CU)by our spoken word or by ^(CV)our letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, ^(CW)who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good ^(CX)hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and ^(CY)establish them in every good work and word.

Pray for Us

3 Finally, brothers,^{[i] (CZ)}pray for us, that ^(DA)the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored,^[j] as happened among you,