² Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

Confirm Your Calling and Election

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^(A)who called us to^[a] his own glory and excellence,^{[b] 4} by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become ^(B)partakers of the divine nature, ^(C)having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ^(D)with virtue,^[c] and virtue ^(E)with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control ^(F)with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness ^(G)with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection ^(H)with love. ⁸ For if these qualities^[d] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ^(I)unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he ^(J)is blind, having forgotten that he was ^(K)cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁸ But ^(A)grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^(B)To him be the glory both now and to the day of ^(C)eternity. Amen.

⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^(A)love covers a multitude of sins.

⁴ since we heard of ^(A)your faith in Christ Jesus and of ^(B)the love that you have for all the saints, ⁵ because of ^(C)the hope ^(D)laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in ^(E)the word of the truth, the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as indeed ^(F)in the whole world it is ^(G)bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you ^(H)heard it and understood ^(I)the grace of God in truth,

Thanksgiving

^3 (A)We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,^[a] as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

¹³ And ^(A)we also thank God constantly^[a] for this, that when you received ^(B)the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(C)not as the word of men^[b] but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(D)which is at work in you believers. ¹⁴ For you, brothers, ^(E)became imitators of ^(F)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For ^(G)you suffered the same things from your own countrymen ^(H)as they did from the Jews,^[c]

Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

³ remembering before ^(A)our God and Father ^(B)your work of faith and labor of ^(C)love and ^(D)steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we know, ^(E)brothers^[a] loved by God, ^(F)that he has chosen you, ⁵ because ^(G)our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and ^(H)in the Holy Spirit and with full ^(I)conviction. You know ^(J)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶ And ^(K)you became imitators of us ^(L)and of the Lord, for ^(M)you received the word in much affliction, ^(N)with the ^(O)joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord ^(P)sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth ^(Q)everywhere, so that we need not say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report concerning us the kind of ^(R)reception we had among you, and how ^(S)you turned to God ^(T)from idols to serve the living and ^(U)true God, ¹⁰ and ^(V)to wait for his Son ^(W)from heaven, ^(X)whom he raised from the dead, Jesus ^(Y)who delivers us from ^(Z)the wrath to come.