001:001 Paul, Silas, and Timothy: To the Church of the Thessalonians
which is in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

001:002 May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

001:003 Unceasing thanks are due from us to God on your behalf, brethren.
They are appropriate because your faith is growing greatly,
and the love of every one of you for all the others
goes on increasing.

001:004 It so increases that we ourselves make honourable mention
of you among the Churches of God because of your patience
and faith amid all your persecutions and amid the afflictions
which you are enduring.

001:005 For these are a plain token of God's righteous judgement, which has
in view your being deemed worthy of admission to God's Kingdom,
for the sake of which, indeed, you are sufferers.

001:006 A plain token of God's righteous judgement, I say, since it
is a righteous thing for Him to requite with affliction
those who are now afflicting you;

001:007 and to requite with rest you who are suffering affliction now—
rest with us at the re-appearing of the Lord Jesus from Heaven,
attended by His mighty angels.

001:008 He will come in flames of fire to take vengeance on those
who have no knowledge of God, and do not obey the Good News
as to Jesus, our Lord.

001:009 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, being banished from the presence of the Lord and from His glorious majesty,

001:010 when He comes on that day to be glorified in His people and to
be wondered at among all who have believed, including you—
because you believed the testimony which we brought
for your acceptance.

001:011 It is with this view also that we continually pray to our God
for you, asking that He will count you worthy of His call,
and by His mighty power fully gratify your every desire
for what is truly good and make your work of faith complete;

001:012 in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and that you may be glorified in Him—so wonderful is the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ!

002:001 But with respect to the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to meet Him, we entreat you, brethren,

002:002 not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled— either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us—through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here.

002:003 Let no one in any way deceive you, for that day cannot come
without the coming of the apostasy first, and the appearing
of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who sets himself against,

002:004 and exalts himself above, every so-called `god' or object of worship,
and goes the length of taking his seat in the very temple of God,
giving it out that he himself is God.

002:005 Do you not remember that while I was still with you I used
to tell you all this?

002:006 And now you know what restrains him, in order that his true
character may be revealed at his appointed time.

002:007 For lawlessness is already at work in secret; but only until
the man who is now exercising a restraining influence is removed,

002:008 and then the Lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will sweep away with the tempest of His anger, and utterly overwhelm by the awful splendour of His Coming.

002:009 The appearing of the Lawless one will be attended by various miracles and tokens and delusive marvels—for so Satan works—

002:010 and by every kind of wicked deception for those who are on the way to perdition because they did not welcome into their hearts the love of the truth, so that they might be saved.

002:011 And for this reason God sends them a misleading influence
that they may believe the lie;

002:012 in order that all may come under judgement who have refused
to believe the truth and have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.

002:013 And from us thanks are always due to God on your behalf— brethren whom the Lord loves—because God from the beginning has chosen you for salvation through the Spirit's sanctifying influence and your belief in the truth.

002:014 To this blessing God has called you by our Good News, so that you may have a share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

002:015 So then, brethren, stand your ground, and hold fast to the
teachings which you have received from us, whether by word
of mouth or by letter.

002:016 And may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself—and God our Father who has
loved us and has given us in His grace eternal consolation
and a bright hope—

002:017 comfort your hearts and make you stedfast in every good work and word.

003:001 Finally, brethren, pray for us, asking that the Lord's Message may be spread rapidly and its glory be displayed, as it was displayed among you;

003:002 and that we may be delivered from wrong-headed and wicked men;
for it is not everybody who has faith.

003:003 But the Lord is faithful, and He will make you stedfast
and will guard you from the Evil one.

003:004 And we have confidence in the Lord in regard to you that you
are doing, and will do, what we command.

003:005 And may the Lord guide your hearts into the love of God
and into the patience of Christ.

003:006 But, by the authority of the Lord, we command you, brethren, to stand aloof from every brother whose life is disorderly and not in accordance with the teaching which all received from us.

003:007 For you yourselves know that it is your duty to follow our example. There was no disorder in our lives among you,

003:008 nor did we eat any one's bread without paying for it, but we laboured and toiled, working hard night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.

003:009 This was not because we had not a claim upon you, but it arose
from a desire to set you an example—for you to imitate us.

003:010 For even when we were with you, we laid down this rule for you:
"If a man does not choose to work, neither shall he eat."

003:011 For we hear that there are some of you who live disorderly
lives and are mere idle busybodies.

003:012 To persons of that sort our injunction—and our command by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ—is that they are to work quietly and eat their own honestly-earned bread.

003:013 But you, brethren, must not grow weary in the path of duty;

003:014 and if any one refuses to obey these our written instructions, mark that man and hold no communication with him— so that he may be made to feel ashamed.

003:015 And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but caution him
as a brother.

003:016 And may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace
in every sense. The Lord be with you all.

003:017 I Paul add the greeting with my own hand, which is the credential
in every letter of mine.

003:018 This is my handwriting. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all.

*****

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