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.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the ^[a]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a ^(A)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then ^[b]all the Greeks took ^(B)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul still remained ^[c]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ^(C)He had his hair cut off at ^(D)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, ²¹ but took leave of them, saying, ^(E)“I^[d] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, ^(F)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

²² And when he had landed at ^(G)Caesarea, and ^[e]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch.

Ministry of Apollos

^24 (A)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being ^(B)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, ^(C)though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, ^(D)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, ^(E)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

²³ After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of ^(A)Galatia and Phrygia ^[a]in order, ^(B)strengthening all the disciples.

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while ^(A)Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through ^(B)the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, ^(C)“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, ^(D)“Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, ^(E)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized ^(F)in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(G)laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and ^(H)they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

^8 (I)And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading ^(J)concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But ^(K)when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil ^(L)of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And ^(M)this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

¹¹ Now ^(N)God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (O)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ^13 (P)Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists ^(Q)took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ^[a]“We ^[b]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul ^(R)preaches.” ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, ^[c]overpowered them, and prevailed against ^[d]them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and ^(S)fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came ^(T)confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. ^20 (U)So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.