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2 Thessalonians 1-3

Salutation

1 From Paul[a] and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Grace and peace to you[b] from God the[c] Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving

3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,[d] and rightly so,[e] because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. 4 As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

Encouragement in Persecution

5 This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy[f] of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering. 6 For it is right[g] for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed[h] from heaven with his mighty angels.[i] 8 With flaming fire he will mete out[j] punishment on those who do not know God[k] and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They[l] will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,[m] 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired[n] on that day among all who have believed—and you did in fact believe our testimony.[o] 11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling[p] and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to[q] the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Day of the Lord

2 Now regarding the arrival[r] of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him,[s] we ask you, brothers and sisters,[t] 2 not to be easily[u] shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us,[v] to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes[w] and the man of lawlessness[x] is revealed, the son of destruction.[y] 4 He[z] opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat[aa] in God’s temple, displaying himself as God.[ab] 5 Surely you recall[ac] that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you. 6 And so[ad] you know what holds him back,[ae] so that he will be revealed in his own time. 7 For the hidden power of lawlessness[af] is already at work. However, the one who holds him back[ag] will do so until he is taken out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord[ah] will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. 9 The arrival of the lawless one[ai] will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles[aj] and signs and false wonders, 10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against[ak] those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth[al] so as to be saved. 11 Consequently[am] God sends on them a deluding influence[an] so that they will believe what is false. 12 And so[ao] all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.[ap]

Call to Stand Firm

13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters[aq] loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning[ar] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 He called you to this salvation[as] through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.[at] 15 Therefore, brothers and sisters,[au] stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter.[av] 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you[aw] in every good thing you do or say.[ax]

Request for Prayer

3 Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters,[ay] that the Lord’s message[az] may spread quickly and be honored[ba] as in fact it was among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful, and he[bb] will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident about you in the Lord that you are both doing—and will do—what we are commanding. 5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God[bc] and the endurance of Christ.[bd]

Response to the Undisciplined

6 But we command you, brothers and sisters,[be] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who lives an undisciplined[bf] life[bg] and not according to the tradition they[bh] received from us. 7 For you know yourselves how you must imitate us, because we did not behave without discipline[bi] among you, 8 and we did not eat anyone’s food without paying.[bj] Instead, in toil and drudgery we worked[bk] night and day in order not to burden any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate.[bl] 10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.” 11 For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life,[bm] not doing their own work but meddling in the work of others.[bn] 12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and so provide their own food to eat.[bo] 13 But you, brothers and sisters,[bp] do not grow weary in doing what is right. 14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.[bq]

Conclusion

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all. 17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is how I write in every letter.[br] 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.[bs]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Thessalonians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
  2. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
  3. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A F G I 0278 1175 1241 1505 2464 M lat sy sa) have ἡμῶν (hēmōn) after πατρός (patros), reading “God our Father,” in apparent emulation of Paul’s almost universal style. The omission of the pronoun (the reading of B D P 0111vid 33 1739 1881 SBL) seems to be the earlier wording of this salutation. As well, the intrinsic evidence also supports the shorter reading: If 2 Thessalonians is authentic, it was one of Paul’s earliest letters, and, if so, his stereotyped salutation was still in embryonic form (see discussion at 1 Thess 1:1). NA28 places the word in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
  4. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
  5. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 tn Grk “as is worthy.”
  6. 2 Thessalonians 1:5 tn Grk “so that you may be made worthy.” The passive infinitive καταξιωθῆναι (kataxiōthēnai) has been translated as an active construction in English for stylistic reasons.
  7. 2 Thessalonians 1:6 tn Grk “if in fact/since,” as a continuation of the preceding.
  8. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 tn Grk “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus.”
  9. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 tn Grk “angels of power,” translated as an attributive genitive.
  10. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 tn Grk “meting out,” as a description of Jesus Christ in v. 7. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.
  11. 2 Thessalonians 1:8 sn An allusion to Jer 10:25, possibly also to Ps 79:6 and Isa 66:15.
  12. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Grk “who,” describing the people mentioned in v. 8. A new sentence was started here in the translation by replacing the relative pronoun with a personal pronoun.
  13. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 tn Or “power,” or “might.” The construction can also be translated as an attributed genitive: “from his glorious strength” (cf. TEV “glorious might”; CEV “glorious strength”; NLT “glorious power”).sn An allusion to Isa 2:10, 19, 21.
  14. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 tn Or “marveled at.”
  15. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 tn Grk “because our testimony to you was believed.”
  16. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 tn Or “your calling.”
  17. 2 Thessalonians 1:12 tn Or “by means of.”
  18. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 tn Or perhaps “return” (cf. CEV).
  19. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 tn Grk “our gathering with him.”
  20. 2 Thessalonians 2:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  21. 2 Thessalonians 2:2 tn Or “quickly, soon.”
  22. 2 Thessalonians 2:2 tn Grk “as through us.”
  23. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tn Grk “for unless the rebellion comes first.” The clause about “the day” is understood from v. 2.
  24. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tc Most mss (A D F G Ψ 1175 1241 1505 M al lat sy) read ἁμαρτίας (hamartias, “of sin”) here, but several significant mss (א B 0278 6 81 1739 1881 2464 al co) read ἀνομίας (anomias, “of lawlessness”). Although external support for ἁμαρτίας is broader, the generally earlier and better witnesses are on the side of ἀνομίας. Internally, since ἁμαρτία (hamartia, “sin”) occurs nearly ten times as often as ἀνομία (anomia, “lawlessness”) in the corpus Paulinum, scribes would be expected to change the text to the more familiar term. At the same time, the mention of ἀνομία in v. 7 and ὁ ἄνομος (ho anomos, “the lawless one”) in v. 8, both of which look back to v. 3, may have prompted scribes to change the text toward ἀνομίας. The internal evidence is thus fairly evenly balanced. Although a decision is difficult, ἀνομίας has slightly greater probability of authenticity than ἁμαρτίας.
  25. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tn Or “the one destined for destruction.”
  26. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 tn Grk “the one who opposes,” describing the figure in v. 3. A new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the personal pronoun (“he”) and translating the participle ἀντικείμενος (antikeimenos) as a finite verb.
  27. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 sn Allusions to Isa 14:13-14; Dan 11:36; Ezek 28:2-9 respectively.
  28. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 tn Grk “that he is God.”
  29. 2 Thessalonians 2:5 tn Grk “You do remember, don’t you?”
  30. 2 Thessalonians 2:6 tn Grk “and now,” but this shows the logical result of his previous teaching.
  31. 2 Thessalonians 2:6 tn Grk “the thing that restrains.”
  32. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 tn Grk “the mystery of lawlessness.” In Paul “mystery” often means “revealed truth, something formerly hidden but now made widely known,” but that does not make sense with the verb of this clause (“to be at work, to be active”).
  33. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 tn Grk “the one who restrains.” This gives a puzzling contrast to the impersonal phrase in v. 6 (“the thing that restrains”). The restraint can be spoken of as a force or as a person. Some have taken this to mean the Roman Empire in particular or human government in general, since these are forces that can also be seen embodied in a person, the emperor or governing head. But apocalyptic texts like Revelation and Daniel portray human government of the end times as under Satanic control, not holding back his influence. Also the power to hold back Satanic forces can only come from God. So others understand this restraint to be some force from God: the preaching of the gospel or the working of the Holy Spirit through God’s people.
  34. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 tc ‡ Several significant witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western traditions, as well as many other witnesses, read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”) after κύριος (kurios, “Lord”; so א A D* F G Lc P Ψ 0278 33 81 104 365 1241 2464 latt sy co). But there is sufficient evidence in the Alexandrian tradition for the shorter reading (B 1739 1881), supported by the Byzantine text, Irenaeus, and other witnesses (D2vid 630 1175 1505). Although it is possible that scribes overlooked ᾿Ιησοῦς if the two nomina sacra occurred together (kMsiMs), since “the Lord Jesus” is a frequent enough appellation, it looks to be a motivated reading. NA28 places ᾿Ιησοῦς in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
  35. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 tn Grk “whose coming,” referring to the lawless one. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  36. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 tn Grk “every miracle.”
  37. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 tn Grk “deception for/toward.”
  38. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 tn Grk “they did not accept the love of the truth.”
  39. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 tn Grk “and for this reason.”
  40. 2 Thessalonians 2:11 tn Grk “a working of error.”
  41. 2 Thessalonians 2:12 tn Grk “that.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  42. 2 Thessalonians 2:12 tn Grk “be judged,” but in this context the term clearly refers to a judgment of condemnation (BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α; cf. KJV “that they all might be damned”). CEV views the condemnation as punishment (“will be punished”).
  43. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  44. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 tc ‡ Several mss (B F G P 0278 33 81 323 1505 1739 1881 al bo) read ἀπαρχήν (aparchēn, “as a firstfruit”; i.e., as the first converts) instead of ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς (ap’ archēs, “from the beginning,” found in א D K L Ψ 1175 1241 M it sa), but this seems more likely to be a change by scribes who thought of the early churches in general in this way. But Paul would not be likely to call the Thessalonians “the firstfruits” among his converts. Further, ἀπαρχή (aparchē, “firstfruit”) is a well-worn term in Paul’s letters (Rom 8:23; 11:16; 16:5; 1 Cor 15:20, 23; 16:15), while ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς occurs nowhere else in Paul. Scribes might be expected to change the text to the more familiar term. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult (see arguments for ἀπαρχήν in TCGNT 568), and ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς must be preferred only slightly.
  45. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 tn Grk “to which,” referring to the main idea of v. 13.
  46. 2 Thessalonians 2:14 sn That you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Paul the ultimate stage of salvation is glorification (Rom 8:30).
  47. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  48. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 tn Grk “that you were taught whether by word or by letter of ours.”
  49. 2 Thessalonians 2:17 tn Grk simply “strengthen,” with the object understood from the preceding.
  50. 2 Thessalonians 2:17 tn Grk “every good work and word.”
  51. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  52. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 tn Or “the word of the Lord.”sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8; 4:15). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the Lord’s message” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.
  53. 2 Thessalonians 3:1 tn Grk “may run and be glorified.”
  54. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 tn Grk “who.”
  55. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (tēn agapēn tou theou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“your love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on believers being directed toward the love God gives which in turn produces increased love in them for him.
  56. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ὑπομονὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tēn hupomonēn tou Christou, “the endurance of Christ”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“Christ’s endurance”) or an objective genitive (“endurance for Christ”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on believers being directed toward the endurance Christ showed which in turn produces endurance in them for him.
  57. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  58. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 tn Or “unruly, out of line.” The particular violation Paul has in mind is idleness (as described in vv. 8-11), so this could be translated to reflect that.
  59. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 tn Grk “walking in an undisciplined way” (“walking” is a common NT idiom for one’s way of life or conduct).
  60. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 tc The reading “you received” (παρελάβετε, parelabete) is found predominately in Western witnesses (F G), although the support of B and the Sahidic version (along with 1505 2464) strengthens the reading considerably. The reading “they received” is found in two different forms: παρελάβοσαν (parelabosan; in א* A [D*] 0278 33) and παρέλαβον (parelabon; in א2 D1 Ψ 1175 1241 1739 1881 M). (παρέλαβον is evidently a correction of παρελάβοσαν to the more common spelling for the third person aorist form). The external evidence is divided fairly evenly, with παρελάβετε and παρελάβοσαν each having adequate support. Internal evidence leans toward “they received”: Given the second person reading, there is little reason why scribes would intentionally change it to a third person plural, and especially an archaic form at that. There is ample reason, however, for scribes to change the third person form to the second person form given that in the prior context παράδοσις (paradosis, “tradition”) is used with a relative clause (as here) with a second person verb (see 2:15). The third person form should be regarded as authentic.
  61. 2 Thessalonians 3:7 tn This is the verbal form of the words occurring in vv. 6 and 11, meaning “to act out of line, in an unruly way.”
  62. 2 Thessalonians 3:8 tn Grk “we did not eat bread freely from anyone.”
  63. 2 Thessalonians 3:8 tn Grk “but working,” as a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started with the word “Instead” in the translation.
  64. 2 Thessalonians 3:9 tn Grk “an example for you to imitate us.”
  65. 2 Thessalonians 3:11 tn Grk “walking in an undisciplined way” (“walking” is a common NT idiom for one’s way of life or conduct).
  66. 2 Thessalonians 3:11 tn There is a play on words in the Greek: “working at nothing, but working around,” “not keeping busy but being busybodies.”
  67. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 tn Grk “that by working quietly they may eat their own bread.”
  68. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.
  69. 2 Thessalonians 3:15 tn That is, as a fellow believer.
  70. 2 Thessalonians 3:17 tn Grk “The greeting in my hand, Paul, which is a sign in every letter, thus I write.”sn Up to 3:17 the letter was dictated by Paul but written down by a secretary or amanuensis. But Paul took up the pen and wrote vv. 17-18 personally to authenticate that it was his (how I write in every letter). See similar indications in 1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; and Col 4:18.
  71. 2 Thessalonians 3:18 tc Most witnesses, including some early and significant ones (א2 A D F G Ψ 1175 1241 1505 1881c M lat sy bo), conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the witnesses for the omission are among the best mss (א* B 0278 6 33 1739 1881* 2464 sa), giving sufficient base to prefer the shorter reading.
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