The First Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians
1:1Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto
the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ: Grace to you and peace. 1:2We give thanks to God always for you
all, making mention of you in our prayers; 1:3remembering without
ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father; 1:4knowing, brethren
beloved of God, your election, 1:5how 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 ye know what manner of men we showed ourselves
toward you for your sake. 1:6And ye became imitators of us, and of
the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the
Holy Spirit; 1:7so that ye became an ensample to all
that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8For from you hath
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. 1:9For they themselves report concerning
us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God
from idols, to serve a living and true God, 1:10and to wait for his
Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who
delivereth us from the wrath to come.
2:1For yourselves, brethren, know our
entering in unto you, that it hath not been found vain: 2:2but
having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as ye know, at
Philippi, we waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God in
much conflict. 2:3For our exhortation is not of
error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: 2:4but even as we have
been approved of God to be intrusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as
pleasing men, but God who proveth our hearts. 2:5For neither at any time
were we found using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloak of
covetousness, God is witness; 2:6nor seeking glory of men, neither from
you nor from others, when we might have claimed authority as apostles of
Christ. 2:7But we were gentle in the midst of you,
as when a nurse cherisheth her own children: 2:8even 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 ye were become
very dear to us. 2:9For ye 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. 2:10Ye are witnesses, and
God also, how holily and righteously and unblameably we behaved
ourselves toward you that believe: 2:11as ye know how we dealt with
each one of you, as a father with his own children, exhorting you, and
encouraging you, and testifying, 2:12to the end that ye
should walk worthily of God, who calleth you into his own kingdom and
glory. 2:13And for this cause we also thank God
without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message,
even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word
of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you
that believe. 2:14For ye, brethren, became imitators of
the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus: for ye also
suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the
Jews; 2:15who both killed the Lord Jesus and the
prophets, and drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all
men; 2:16forbidding 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. 2:17But 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: 2:18because we would fain
have come unto you, I Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us. 2:19For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before
our Lord Jesus at his coming? 2:20For ye are our glory and our joy.
3:1Wherefore when we could no longer
forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone; 3:2and
sent Timothy, our brother and God's minister in the gospel of Christ, to
establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; 3:3that
no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we
are appointed. 3:4For verily, when we were with you, we
told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to
pass, and ye know. 3:5For this cause I also, when I could no
longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the
tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. 3:6But
when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings
of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always,
longing to see us, even as we also to see you; 3:7for this cause,
brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction
through your faith: 3:8for now we live, if ye stand fast in
the Lord. 3:9For what thanksgiving can we render
again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes
before our God; 3:10night and day praying exceedingly that
we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
3:11Now may our God and Father himself,
and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: 3:12and the Lord make you
to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men,
even as we also do toward you; 3:13to 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.
4:1Finally then, brethren, we beseech and
exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to
walk and to please God, even as ye do walk, --that ye abound more and
more. 4:2For ye know what charge we gave you
through the Lord Jesus. 4:3For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; 4:4that
each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in
sanctification and honor, 4:5not in the passion of lust, even as the
Gentiles who know not God; 4:6that 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. 4:7For God called us not
for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 4:8Therefore he that
rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto
you. 4:9But concerning love of the brethren ye
have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God
to love one another; 4:10for indeed ye do it toward all the
brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye
abound more and more; 4:11and that ye study to be quiet, and to
do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
4:12that ye may walk becomingly toward
them that are without, and may have need of nothing. 4:13But we would not have
you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow
not, even as the rest, who have no hope. 4:14For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. 4:15For 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 wise precede them that are fallen asleep. 4:16For
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; 4:17then 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. 4:18Wherefore comfort one
another with these words.
5:1But concerning the times and the
seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 5:2For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in
the night. 5:3When they are saying, Peace and safety,
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall in no wise escape. 5:4But ye, brethren, are
not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: 5:5for
ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night,
nor of darkness; 5:6so then let us not sleep, as do the
rest, but let us watch and be sober. 5:7For they that sleep sleep in the night:
and they that are drunken are drunken in the night. 5:8But 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. 5:9For God appointed us
not into wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 5:10who died for us, that, whether we wake
or sleep, we should live together with him. 5:11Wherefore exhort one
another, and build each other up, even as also ye do. 5:12But
we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over
you in the Lord, and admonish you; 5:13and to esteem them exceeding highly in
love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 5:14And
we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the
fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all. 5:15See
that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that
which is good, one toward another, and toward all. 5:16Rejoice always; 5:17pray without ceasing; 5:18in
everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to
you-ward. 5:19Quench not the Spirit; 5:20despise not prophesyings; 5:21prove all things; hold fast that which
is good; 5:22abstain from every form of evil. 5:23And
the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul
and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 5:24Faithful is he that calleth you, who
will also do it. 5:25Brethren, pray for us. 5:26Salute all the brethren with a holy
kiss. 5:27I adjure you by the Lord that this
epistle be read unto all the brethren. 5:28The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you.
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