Thanksgiving for the Thessalonian Believers

² We give thanks to God always concerning all of you, making mention constantly in our prayers, ³ because we^[a] remember your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, ⁴ knowing, brothers dearly loved by God, that he has chosen you^[b], ⁵ because our gospel did not come to you with word only, but also with power and with the Holy Spirit and with much certainty, just as you know what sort of people we became among you for your sake. ⁶ And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became an example to all those who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia, ⁸ for from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,^[c] but in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report about us, what sort of welcome we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, the one who delivers us from the coming wrath.