Beginning

He thanks God for their faith and love, and prays for the increase of the same.

1 Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy.

To the congregation of the Thessalonians who are in God our Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

² Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because your faith grows exceedingly, and every one of you swims in love toward another between yourselves, ⁴ so that we ourselves rejoice over you in the congregations of God – over your patience and faith in all the persecutions and tribulations that you suffer, ⁵ which is a sign of the righteous judgment of God, that you are counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

⁶ It is surely a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to those who trouble you; ⁷ and to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shows himself from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to those who do not know God, and to those who will not heed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting damnation, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, ¹⁰ when he comes to be glorified in his saints and to be made marvelous in all who believe, because our testimony to you was believed even the same day that we preached it.

¹¹ Therefore we pray always for you, that our God would make you worthy of the calling, and would fulfil all pleasure in goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in him, through the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul explains that the day of the Lord does not come until the departing from the faith comes first, and therefore he exhorts them not to be deceived, but to stand steadfast in the things that he has taught them.

2 We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in that we shall assemble unto him, ² not to be suddenly moved from your mind. And be not troubled, neither by spirit nor by words, nor yet by letter which seems to come from us, as though the day of Christ were at hand. ³ Let no man deceive you by any means. For the Lord comes not unless there come a departing first and that sinful man be revealed – the son of perdition, ⁴ who is an adversary, and is exalted above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he shall sit as God in the temple of God and show himself as God.

⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what withholds, so that he may be manifest at his time. ⁷ For the mystery of that iniquity does he already work, which only locks until it is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then shall that wicked one be exposed, whom the Lord will consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and will destroy with the appearance of his coming – ⁹ namely him whose coming is by the working of Satan, with all lying power, signs, and wonders, ¹⁰ and in all the deceptiveness of unrighteousness among those who are perishing. They perish because they would not receive the love of the truth, so that they might have been saved. ¹¹ And therefore God will send them strong delusion, so that they will believe lies; ¹² so that all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you for salvation, through sanctifying by the Spirit and through believing the truth, ¹⁴ to which he called you by our gospel, to obtain the glory that comes of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast. And keep the ordinances that you have been taught, whether it was by our preaching or by epistle.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has loved us, and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in all doctrine and good-doing.

He asks them to pray for him, that the gospel may prosper. He warns them to reprove the idle, and if they will not labour with their hands, they should not eat.

3 Furthermore, brethren, pray for us, that the word of God may have free passage and be glorified, as it is with you, ² and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men. For all do not have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and keep you from evil. ⁴ We have confidence through the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do that which we instruct you. ⁵ And may the Lord guide your hearts to the love of God and patience of Christ.

⁶ We require you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother who is disorderly, not walking according to the teaching which you received from us. ⁷ You yourselves know how you ought to follow us. For we were not disorderly amongst you. ⁸ Neither did we take bread from anyone for nothing, but worked with labour and travail night and day, because we did not wish to be burdensome to any of you – ⁹ not that we had no right, but to make ourselves an example for you, to follow us. ¹⁰ For when we were with you, this we warned you of: that if there were any who would not work, the same should not eat.

¹¹ We have heard that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly way, and do not work at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Such people we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ to work with quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³ Brethren, do not be weary of well-doing. ¹⁴ If any man does not heed what we say, send us word of him by a letter; and keep no company with him, so that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ And count him not as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

¹⁶ May the very Lord of peace give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷ The greeting of me, Paul, with my own hand. This is the distinguishing mark in all epistles – thus I write.

¹⁸ May the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
all.
Amen.
Sent from Athens.