1 Thessalonians 1–4

GREETING

1Paul, Silvanus,^a and Timothy:^b

To the church of the Thessalonians^c in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace.^B

THANKSGIVING

²We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. ³We recall, in the presence of our God and Father,^d your work produced by faith,^e your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.^{f 4}For we know, brothers and sisters loved^g by God,^h that he has chosen you,^{i 5}because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit,^j and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you^k for your benefit, ⁶and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message^l with joy from the Holy Spirit. ⁷As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia^m and Achaia.^{n 8}For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith^Co in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, ⁹for they themselves report^D what kind of reception^p we had from you: how you turned^q to God from idols^r to serve the living^s and true^t God ¹⁰and to wait^u for his Son^v from heaven, whom he raised from the dead^w—Jesus, who rescues us^x from the coming wrath.^y

PAUL’S CONDUCT

2For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit^z with you was not without result. ²On the contrary, after we had previously suffered^aa and were treated outrageously in Philippi,^ab as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. ³For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity^ac or an intent to deceive.^{ad 4}Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted^ae with the gospel,^af so we speak, not to please people, but rather God,^ag who examines our hearts.^{ah 5}For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy^ai motives^aj—God is our witness^ak—⁶and we didn’t seek glory^al from people, either from you or from others. ⁷Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles,^am instead we were gentle^E among you, as a nurse^F nurtures her own children. ⁸We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. ⁹For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working^an night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. ¹⁰You are witnesses,^ao and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously,^ap and blamelessly^aq we conducted ourselves with you believers. ¹¹As you know, like a father with his own children,^{ar 12}we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God,^as who calls you into his own kingdom^at and glory.^au

RECEPTION AND OPPOSITION TO THE MESSAGE

¹³This is why we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is,^av the word of God,^aw which also works effectively in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea,^ax since you have also suffered^ay the same things from people of your own country,^az just as they did from the Jews ¹⁵who killed the Lord Jesus^ba and the prophets and persecuted us.^bb They displease God and are hostile to everyone, ¹⁶by keeping us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are constantly filling up their sins to the limit,^bc and wrath has overtaken them at last.^A

PAUL’S DESIRE TO SEE THEM

¹⁷But as for us, brothers and sisters, after we were forced to leave you^B for a short time (in person, not in heart^a), we greatly desired and made every effort to return^b and see you face to face. ¹⁸So we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan^c hindered us. ¹⁹For who is our hope or joy^d or crown^e of boasting^f in the presence of our Lord^g Jesus at his coming?^h Is it not you?^{i 20}Indeed you are our glory^j and joy!

ANXIETY IN ATHENS

3Therefore, when we could no longer stand it, we thought it was better to be left alone in Athens.^{k 2}And we sent Timothy,^l our brother and God’s coworker^C in the gospel of Christ,^m to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, ³so that no one will be shaken by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. ⁴In fact, when we were with you, we told you in advance that we were going to experience affliction, and as you know, it happened. ⁵For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I also sent him to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter had tempted you and that our labor might be for nothing.

ENCOURAGED BY TIMOTHY

⁶But now Timothy has come to usⁿ from you and brought us good news about your faith and love. He reported that you always have good memories of us and that you long to see us, as we also long to see you.^{o 7}Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you stand firm^p in the Lord. ⁹How can we thank God for you in return for all the joy^q we experience before our God because of you, ¹⁰as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face^r and to complete what is lacking in your faith?^s

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH

¹¹Now may our God and Father^t himself, and our Lord Jesus,^u direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love^v for one another^w and for everyone, just as we do for you. ¹³May he make your hearts blameless^x in holiness^y before our God and Father at the coming^z of our Lord^aa Jesus with all his saints. Amen.^A

THE CALL TO SANCTIFICATION

4Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God—as you are doing^B—do this even more. ²For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is God’s will,^ab your sanctification:^ac that you keep away^ad from sexual immorality, ⁴that each of you knows how to control his own body^C in holiness and honor, ⁵not with lustful passions,^ae like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. ⁶This means one must not transgress against and take advantage^af of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. ⁷For God has not called us to impurity^ag but to live in holiness. ⁸Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.^ah

LOVING AND WORKING

⁹About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God^ai to love one another.^{aj 10}In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia.^ak But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, ¹¹to seek to lead a quiet life,^al to mind your own business,^D and to work^am with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹²so that you may behave properly^an in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.^Eao

THE COMFORT OF CHRIST’S COMING

¹³We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.^{ap 14}For if we believe that Jesus died and rose^aq again,^ar in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.^{as 15}For we say this to you by a word from the Lord:^at We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming^au will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{av 16}For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,^Fa with the archangel’s^b voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ^c will rise first. ¹⁷Then^d we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds^e to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage^G one another with these words.