2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.d

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 We ought always to thank God for you,e brothers and sisters,b and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.f 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boastg about your perseverance and faithh in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.i

5 All this is evidencej that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthyk of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just:l He will pay back trouble to those who trouble youm 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heavenn in blazing fireo with his powerful angels.p 8 He will punishq those who do not know Godr and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.s 9 They will be punished with everlasting destructiont and shut out from the presence of the Lordu and from the glory of his mightv 10 on the dayw he comes to be glorifiedx in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.y