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  First Thessalonians

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

²We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; ³remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father; ⁴knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election, ⁵how that our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; even as you know what manner of men we showed ourselves toward you for your sake.

⁶And you became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit; ⁷so that you became an example to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For from you has sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything. ⁹For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how you turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

2 For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto you, that it has not been found vain: ²but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict. ³For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: ⁴but even as we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God who proves our hearts. ⁵For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; ⁶nor seeking glory of men, neither from you nor from others, when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.

⁷But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherishes her own children: ⁸even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were become very dear to us. ⁹For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail: working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holily and righteously and unblameably we behaved ourselves toward you that believe: ¹¹as you know how we dealt with each one of you, as a father with his own children, exhorting you, and encouraging you, and testifying, ¹²to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹³And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you that believe. ¹⁴For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus: for you also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews; ¹⁵who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all men; ¹⁶forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

¹⁷But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence not in heart, endeavored the more exceedingly to see your face with great desire: ¹⁸because we would gladly have come unto you, I Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us. ¹⁹For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming? ²⁰For you are our glory and our joy.

3 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone; ²and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s minister in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; ³that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed. ⁴For truly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, and you know. ⁵For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, unless by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.

⁶But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that you have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we also to see you; ⁷for this cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith: ⁸for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. ⁹For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

¹¹Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: ¹²and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you; ¹³to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

4 Finally then, brethren, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, even as you do walk, --that you abound more and more. ²For you know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication; ⁴that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; ⁶that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. ⁸Therefore he that rejects these things, rejects not man, but God, who gives his Holy Spirit unto you.

⁹But concerning love of the brethren you have no need that one write unto you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another; ¹⁰for indeed you do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that you abound more and more; ¹¹and that you study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; ¹²that you may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.

¹³But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that you sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no way precede them that are fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; ¹⁷then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that anything more be written unto you. ²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no way escape. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: ⁵for you are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;

⁶so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷For they that sleep, sleep in the night: and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. ⁸But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹For God appointed us not into wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

¹¹Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also you do. ¹²But we beg you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; ¹³and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all. ¹⁵See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.

¹⁶Rejoice always; ¹⁷pray without ceasing; ¹⁸in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward. ¹⁹Quench not the Spirit; ²⁰despise not prophesyings; ²¹prove all things; hold fast that which is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.