3 So when we could stand it no longer,u we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens.v 2 We sent Timothy,w who is our brother and co-workerx in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ,y to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.z For you know quite well that we are destined for them.a 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.b 5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer,c I sent to find out about your faith.d I was afraid that in some way the temptere had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.f

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

6 But Timothyg has just now come to us from youh and has brought good news about your faith and love.i He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.j 7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 For now we really live, since you are standing firmk in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for youl in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?m 10 Night and day we prayn most earnestly that we may see you againo and supply what is lacking in your faith.

11 Now may our God and Fatherp himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each otherq and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blamelessr and holy in the presence of our God and Fathers when our Lord Jesus comest with all his holy ones.u

Living to Please God

4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,v we instructed you how to livew in order to please God,x as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 It is God’s willy that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;z 4 that each of you should learn to control your own bodya a in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lustb like the pagans,c who do not know God;d 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.b e The Lord will punishf all those who commit such sins,g as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.h 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.i

9 Now about your love for one anotherj we do not need to write to you,k for you yourselves have been taught by Godl to love each other.m 10 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia.n Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,o 11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands,p just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsidersq and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Believers Who Have Died

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformedr about those who sleep in death,s so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.t 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,u and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.v 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,w will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.x 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,y with a loud command, with the voice of the archangelz and with the trumpet call of God,a and the dead in Christ will rise first.b 17 After that, we who are still alive and are leftc will be caught up together with them in the cloudsd to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lorde forever. 18 Therefore encourage one anotherf with these words.

The Day of the Lord

5 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and datesg we do not need to write to you,h 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lordi will come like a thief in the night.j 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”k destruction will come on them suddenly,l as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.m

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darknessn so that this day should surprise you like a thief.o 5 You are all children of the lightp and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep,q but let us be awaker and sober.s 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.t 8 But since we belong to the day,u let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,v and the hope of salvationw as a helmet.x 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrathy but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.z 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.a 11 Therefore encourage one anotherb and build each other up,c just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hardd among you, who care for you in the Lorde and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.f 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idleg and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak,h be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong,i but always strive to do what is good for each otherj and for everyone else.

16 Rejoice always,k 17 pray continually,l 18 give thanks in all circumstances;m for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.n 20 Do not treat prophecieso with contempt 21 but test them all;p hold on to what is good,q 22 reject every kind of evil.

23 May God himself, the God of peace,r sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, souls and body be kept blamelesst at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.u 24 The one who callsv you is faithful,w and he will do it.x

25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.y 26 Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.z 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.a

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.b

2 Thessalonians

Stronger in tone than his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul goes over the same topics, especially the church’s questions about Christ’s second coming.

1 Paul, Silasa a and Timothy,b

To the church of the Thessaloniansc in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

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

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you,z that our God may make you worthya of his calling,b and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodnessc and your every deed prompted by faith.d 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,e and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.c

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christf and our being gathered to him,g we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letterh—asserting that the day of the Lordi has already come.j 3 Don’t let anyone deceive youk in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellionl occurs and the man of lawlessnessa is revealed,m the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called Godn or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.o

5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?p 6 And now you know what is holding him back,q so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it backr will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed,s whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his moutht and destroy by the splendor of his coming.u 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satanv works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wondersw that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.x They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.y 11 For this reason God sends themz a powerful delusiona so that they will believe the lieb 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.c

Stand Firm

13 But we ought always to thank God for you,d brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruitsb e to be savedf through the sanctifying work of the Spiritg and through belief in the truth. 14 He called youh to this through our gospel,i that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firmj and hold fast to the teachingsc we passed on to you,k whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,l who loved usm and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encouragen your hearts and strengtheno you in every good deed and word.