Greeting
1 THESSALONIANS 1 [†]Paul, a Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the b Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
c Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2[†] d We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly [1] e mentioning you in our prayers, 3[†]remembering before f our God and Father g your work of faith and labor of h love and i steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4[†]For we know, j brothers [2] loved by God, k that he has chosen you, 5[†]because l our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and m in the Holy Spirit and with full n conviction. You know o what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6[†]And p you became imitators of us q and of the Lord, for r you received the word in much affliction, s with the t 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 u sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth v everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9[†]For they themselves report concerning us the kind of w reception we had among you, and how x you turned to God y from idols to serve the living and z true God, 10and a to wait for his Son b from heaven, c whom he raised from the dead, Jesus d who delivers us from e the wrath to come.
Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians
1 THESSALONIANS 2 [†]For you yourselves know, brothers, [1] that our f coming to you g was not in vain. 2[†]But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated h at Philippi, as you know, i we had boldness in our God j to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much k conflict. 3[†]For l our appeal does not spring from m error or n impurity or o any attempt to deceive, 4but just as we have been approved by God p to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not q to please man, but to please God r who tests our hearts. 5[†] s For we never came with words of flattery, [2] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed— t God is witness. 6[†] u Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, v though we could have made w demands as x apostles of Christ. 7[†]But we were y gentle [3] among you, z like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God a but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.
9[†]For you remember, brothers, b our labor and toil: we c worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10[†]You are witnesses, and d God also, e how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11For you know how, f like a father with his children, 12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and g charged h you to walk in a manner worthy of God, i who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13[†]And j we also thank God constantly [4] for this, that when you received k the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it l not as the word of men [5] but as what it really is, the word of God, m which is at work in you believers. 14[†]For you, brothers, n became imitators of o the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For p you suffered the same things from your own countrymen q as they did from the Jews, [6] 15[†] r who killed both the Lord Jesus and s the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and t oppose all mankind 16[†] u by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always v to fill up the measure of their sins. But w wrath has come upon them at last! [7]
Paul’s Longing to See Them Again
17[†]But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, x in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire y to see you face to face, 18[†]because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan z hindered us. 19[†]For what is our hope or a joy or crown of boasting b before our Lord Jesus at his c coming? Is it not you? 20For you are our glory and joy.
1 THESSALONIANS 3 [†]Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing d to be left behind at Athens alone, 2[†]and we e sent Timothy, f our brother and God’s coworker [1] in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3[†]that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that g we are destined for this. 4For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, h just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5[†]For this reason, i when I could bear it no longer, i I sent to learn about your faith, j for fear that somehow k the tempter had tempted you and l our labor would be in vain.
Timothy’s Encouraging Report
6[†]But m now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of n your faith and love and reported o that you always remember us kindly and p long to see us, as we long to see you— 7[†]for this reason, brothers, [2] in all our distress and affliction q we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8For now we live, if you r are standing fast in the Lord. 9[†]For s what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10as we pray most earnestly t night and day u that we may see you face to face and v supply what is lacking in your faith?
11[†]Now may w our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, x direct our way to you, 12and may the Lord y make you increase and abound in love z for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13[†]so that he may a establish your hearts blameless in holiness before w our God and Father, at b the coming of our Lord Jesus c with all his saints.
A Life Pleasing to God
1 THESSALONIANS 4 [†]Finally, then, brothers, [1] we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you d received from us e how you ought to walk and f to please God, just as you are doing, that you g do so more and more. 2[†]For h you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3[†]For this is the will of God, i your sanctification: [2] j that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4[†]that each one of you know how to control his own k body [3] in holiness and l honor, 5[†]not in m the passion of lust n like the Gentiles o who do not know God; 6[†]that no one transgress and p wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is q an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7[†]For r God has not called us for s impurity, but in holiness. 8[†]Therefore t whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, u who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9[†]Now concerning v brotherly love w you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been x taught by God y to love one another, 10for that indeed is what z you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to a do this more and more, 11[†]and to aspire b to live quietly, and c to mind your own affairs, and d to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12[†]so that you may e walk properly before f outsiders and be dependent on no one.
The Coming of the Lord
13[†]But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, g that you may not grieve as others do h who have no hope. 14[†]For i since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him j those who have fallen asleep. 15[†]For this we declare to you k by a word from the Lord, [4] that l we who are alive, who are left until m the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16[†]For n the Lord himself will descend o from heaven p with a cry of command, with the voice of q an archangel, and r with the sound of the trumpet of God. And s the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be t caught up together with them u in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so v we will always be with the Lord. 18[†]Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Day of the Lord
1 THESSALONIANS 5 [†]Now concerning w the times and the seasons, brothers, [1] x you have no need to have anything written to you. 2[†]For you yourselves are fully aware that y the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then z sudden destruction will come upon them a as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4[†]But you b are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5[†]For you are all c children [2] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6[†]So then d let us not sleep, as others do, but let us e keep awake and f be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, g are drunk at night. 8[†]But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, h having put on the breastplate of i faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9[†]For God has not destined us for j wrath, but k to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10[†] l who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11[†]Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Final Instructions and Benediction
12[†]We ask you, brothers, m to respect those who labor among you and n are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. o Be at peace among yourselves. 14[†]And we urge you, brothers, admonish p the idle, [3] q encourage the fainthearted, r help the weak, s be patient with them all. 15See that t no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always u seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16[†] v Rejoice always, 17[†] w pray without ceasing, 18[†] x give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19[†] y Do not quench the Spirit. 20[†]Do not despise z prophecies, 21but a test everything; hold fast what is good. 22[†]Abstain from every form of evil.
23[†]Now may b the God of peace himself c sanctify you completely, and may your d whole e spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at f the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 g He who calls you is faithful; h he will surely do it.
25 i Brothers, pray for us.
26[†] j Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
27[†]I put you under oath before the Lord to have k this letter read to all the brothers.
28 l The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.