1 THESSALONIANS
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Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of
the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and
peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our
prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith
and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we
know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our
message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the
Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we
proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of
the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by
the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in
Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you
not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has
become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of
those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you
turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his
Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the
wrath that is coming.
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You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our
coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been
shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to
declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal
does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have
been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we
speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you
know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a
pretext for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or
from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we
were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So
deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the
gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and
day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the
gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and
blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with
each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you
and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own
kingdom and glory. 13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when
you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a
human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you
believers. 14 For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of
God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from
your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord
Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone
16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus
they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God's wrath
has overtaken them at last. 17 As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a
short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you--in person, not in
heart--we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. 18 For we wanted
to come to you--certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again--but Satan blocked
our way. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord
Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Yes, you are our glory and joy!
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Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided to
be left alone in Athens; 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for
God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the
sake of your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions.
Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. 4 In fact,
when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer
persecution; so it turned out, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear
it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the
tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain. 6 But Timothy has
just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and
love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see
us--just as we long to see you. 7 For this reason, brothers and sisters, during
all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your
faith. 8 For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can
we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our
God because of you? 10 Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you
face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. 11 Now may our God
and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord
make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we
abound in love for you. 13 And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that
you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his saints.
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Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the
Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God
(as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. 2 For you know
what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of
God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of
you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, 5 not with lustful
passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrong or exploit a
brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these
things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7
For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects
this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have
anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one
another; 10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout
Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to
live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we
directed you, 12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be
dependent on no one. 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and
sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who
have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so,
through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we
declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left
until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16
For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with
the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in
the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be
with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and
sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves
know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3
When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come
upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no
escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you
like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we
are not of the night or of darkness. 6 So then let us not fall asleep as others
do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7 for those who sleep sleep at night,
and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day,
let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet
the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we
are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and
build up each other, as indeed you are doing. 12 But we appeal to you, brothers
and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the
Lord and admonish you; 13 esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the
idlers, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.
15 See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one
another and to all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do
not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test
everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23
May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul
and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. 25 Beloved, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I solemnly command
you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. 28 The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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