1 Thessalonians 1–4

1^*aPaul, and ^aaSilvanus, and ^bTimotheus, unto the church of the ^cThessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: ^dGrace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^2eWe give thanks to God always for you all, making ^fmention of you in our prayers; ³Remembering ^gwithout ceasing ^hyour work of ⁱfaith, and ^klabour of ⁱlove, and ^lpatience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of ^mGod and our Father; ⁴Knowing, brethren ^||nbeloved, ⁿyour election of God. ⁵For our gospel came ^onot unto you in word only, but also ^oin power, and ^opin the Holy Ghost, and in ^qmuch assurance; as ^rye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. ⁶And ^sye became followers of us, and of the Lord, ^thaving received the word in much affliction, ^uwwith joy of ^wthe Holy Ghost: ⁷So that ye were ^xensamples to all that believe in ^yMacedonia and ^yAchaia. ⁸For from you ^zsounded out the word of the Lord not only in ^yMacedonia and ^yAchaia, but also ^ain every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. ⁹For they themselves shew of us what manner of ^bentering in we had unto you, and how ^cye turned to God ^dfrom idols to serve ^ethe living and ^ftrue God; ¹⁰And ^gto wait for ^hhis Son ⁱfrom heaven, ^kwhom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, ^lwhich delivered us from ^mthe wrath to come.

2For yourselves, brethren, know our ^aentrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: ²But even after that we had suffered before, and were ^bshamefully entreated, as ye know, ^cat Philippi, ^dwe were bold in our God ^eto speak unto you the gospel of God with much ^fcontention. ³For our ^gexhortation was not of ^hdeceit, nor of ⁱuncleanness, nor in ^kguile: ⁴But as ^lwe were allowed of God ^mto be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as ⁿpleasing men, but God, ^owhich trieth our hearts. ⁵For neither at any time ^knused we flattering words, as ye know, nor ^pa cloke of ^qcovetousness; ^rGod is witness: ⁶Nor ^sof men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when ^twe might have ^||been ^uburdensome, as ^wthe apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were ^xgentle among you, even ^yas a nurse cherisheth her children: ⁸So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, ^zbut also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. ⁹For ye remember, brethren, ^zzour labour and travail: for ^alabouring ^aanight and day, because we would not ^bbe chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. ^10cYe are witnesses, and ^dGod also, ^chow ^eholily and ^ejustly and ^funblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: ¹¹As ye know how we exhorted and ^gcomforted and charged every one of you, ^has a father doth his children, ¹²ⁱThat ye would walk worthy of God, ^jwho hath called you unto ^khis kingdom and glory. ¹³For this cause also thank we God ^lwithout ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God ^mwhich ye heard of us, ye received it ⁿnot as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. ¹⁴For ye, brethren, ^obecame followers of ^pthe churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ^qye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, ^reven as they have of the Jews: ^15sWho both killed the Lord Jesus, and ^ttheir own prophets, and have ^||persecuted us; and ^uthey please not God, and ^ware contrary to all men: ^16xForbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, ^yto fill up their sins alway: for ^zthe wrath ^ais come upon them ^bto the uttermost.

¹⁷But we, brethren, ^cbeing taken from you ^dfor a short time ^ein presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly ^fto see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but ^gSatan ^hhindered us. ¹⁹For what is our hope, or ⁱjoy, or ⁱcrown of ^||krejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ ^lat his coming? ²⁰For ye are our glory and joy.

3Wherefore ^awhen we could no longer ^bforbear, ^cwe thought it good to be left at Athens alone; ²And sent ^cdTimotheus, ^ccour brother, and minister of God, and our ^defellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, ^fto establish you, and to ^gcomfort you concerning your faith: ³That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that ^hwe are appointed thereunto. ⁴For verily, when we were with you, we told you before ^hthat we should suffer tribulation; even as ⁱit came to pass, and ye know. ⁵For this cause, ^awhen I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means ^kthe tempter ^lhave tempted you, and ^mour labour be in vain. ⁶But now ⁿwhen Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of ^oyour faith and charity, and ^pthat ye have good remembrance of us always, ^qdesiring greatly to see us, as ^qwe also to see you: ⁷Therefore, brethren, ^rwe were ^gcomforted over you in all our affliction and ^sdistress by your faith: ⁸For now ^twe live, if ye ^ustand fast in the Lord. ⁹For ^wwhat thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; ^10xNight and day ^xypraying exceedingly ^zthat we might see your face, and ^amight perfect that which is lacking in your faith? ¹¹Now God himself ^band our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^||cdirect our way unto you. ¹²And the Lord ^dmake you to increase and abound ^ein love ^fone toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: ¹³To the end he may ^gstablish your hearts ^hunblameable in holiness before God, ^beven our Father, ⁱat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ^kwith all his saints.

4^aFurthermore then we ^||bbeseech you, brethren, and ^||cexhort you by the Lord Jesus, that ^das ye have received of us ^ehow ye ought to walk and ^fto please God, so ye would ^gabound more and more. ²For ye know ^dwhat commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. ³For this is ^hthe will of God, even your ⁱsanctification, ^kthat ye should abstain from fornication: ⁴That every one of you should know how ^lto possess ^mhis vessel in ⁱsanctification and ⁿhonour; ⁵Not in ^othe lust of ^oconcupiscence, even ^pas the Gentiles ^qwhich know not God: ⁶That no man go beyond and ^||defraud ^rhis brother ^||in any matter: because that the Lord ^sis the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and ^ttestified. ⁷For God ^uhath not called us unto ^wuncleanness, but ^xunto ⁱholiness. ^8yHe therefore that ^||despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, ^zwho hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

⁹But as touching ^abrotherly love ^bye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves ^bbare taught of God ^cto love one another. ¹⁰And indeed ^dye do it toward all the brethren which are in all ^eMacedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye ^fincrease more and more; ¹¹And that ye ^gstudy ^hto be quiet, and ⁱto do ^kyour own business, and ^lto work with your own hands, as we commanded you; ^12mThat ye may walk ^mnhonestly toward ^othem that are without, and that ye may have lack ^||of nothing.

¹³But ^pI would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning ^qthem which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, ^reven as others ^swhich have no hope. ¹⁴For ^tif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so ^quthem also which sleep in Jesus ^wwill God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you ^xby the word of the Lord, that ^ywe which are alive and remain unto ^zthe coming of the Lord shall not ^aprevent ^qthem which are asleep. ¹⁶For ^bthe Lord himself shall descend ^cfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of ^dthe archangel, and with ^ethe trump of God: and ^fthe dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then ^gwe which are alive and remain shall be ^hcaught up together with them ⁱin the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so ^kshall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore ^||lcomfort one another with these words.