2 Thessalonians 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Salutation
1 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 the[a] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.(A) 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.(B)
The Judgment at Christ’s Coming
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering.(C) 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels(D) 8 in a fiery flame, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.(E) 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,(F) 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.(G)
Footnotes
- 1.2 Other ancient authorities read our
2 Thessalonians 1
Complete Jewish Bible
1 From: Sha’ul, Sila and Timothy
To: The Messianic Community of the Thessalonians, united with God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:
2 Grace to you and shalom from God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
3 We have to keep thanking God for you always, brothers, as is appropriate; because your trust continues to grow greater, and the love you each have for one another continues to increase. 4 Therefore, we boast about you in the congregations of God because of your perseverance and trust in all the persecutions and troubles you are going through. 5 This is clear evidence that God’s judgment is just; and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. 6 For it is justice for God to pay back trouble to those who are troubling you, 7 and to give rest along with us to you who are being troubled, when the Lord Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in a fiery flame. Then he will punish those who don’t know God,[a] that is, those who don’t listen to the Good News of our Lord Yeshua and obey it. 9 They will suffer the just penalty of eternal destruction, far away from the face of the Lord and the glory of his might.[b] 10 On that Day, when he comes to be glorified by his holy people and admired by all who have trusted, you will be among them, because you trusted our witness to you.
11 With this in view, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill by his power every good purpose of yours and every action stemming from your trust. 12 In this way, the name of our Lord Yeshua will be glorified in you, and you in him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Footnotes
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8 Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 10:25; Psalm 79:6
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21
2 Thessalonians 1
The Message
1 1-2 I, Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, greet the church of the Thessalonian Christians in the name of God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. Our God gives you everything you need, makes you everything you’re to be.
Justice Is on the Way
3-4 You need to know, friends, that thanking God over and over for you is not only a pleasure; it’s a must. We have to do it. Your faith is growing phenomenally; your love for each other is developing wonderfully. Why, it’s only right that we give thanks. We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have broadsided you. We tell everyone we meet in the churches all about you.
5-10 All this trouble is a clear sign that God has decided to make you fit for the kingdom. You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus appears out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time. His coming will be the break we’ve been waiting for. Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence. But on that very same day when he comes, he will be exalted by his followers and celebrated by all who believe—and all because you believed what we told you.
11-12 Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he’s called you to be, pray that he’ll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson