Chapter I

PAUL'S LOVE AND PRAYERS FOR THE THESSALONIAN CHRISTIANS, THE COMING OF CHRIST, ETC.

1 [1:1]PAUL and Silvanus [Silas] and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [1:2]Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 [1:3]We ought to thank God always for you, brothers, as is fit, because your faith increases greatly, and the love of every one of you all one for another abounds, [1:4]so that we boast of you in the churches of God, of your patience and faith, in all your persecutions and the afflictions which you endure, [1:5] a token of the righteous judgment of God that you should be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer, [1:6]since it is just with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, [1:7]and to you who are afflicted rest with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels [1:8]in a flame of fire, executing judgment on all that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus; [1:9]who shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, [1:10]when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired by all that believe in that day, for our testimony was believed by you. [1:11] For which also we pray always for you, that our God will account you worthy of the calling, and accomplish all the good pleasure of [his] goodness and the work of faith with power; [1:12]that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 [2:1]And we beseech you, brothers, in respect to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being brought together to him, [2:2]that you be not soon shaken in mind, nor terrified, neither by a spirit, nor by a discourse, nor by an epistle as from us, as though the day of the Lord was at hand. [2:3]Let no one deceive you in any way, for [he shall not come] unless the apostacy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, [2:4]who opposes and exalts himself above every thing that is called a god or an object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. [2:5]Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you of these things? [2:6]And now you know what hinders him from being revealed in his time. [2:7]For the mystery of wickedness already works, [God] only restrains it just now, till it shall be out of the way; [2:8]and then shall the wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming, [2:9]whose coming is according to the power of Satan, with all power and miracles and false prodigies [2:10]and with every unrighteous deceit among those who are destroyed, because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. [2:11]And therefore, God sends them a power of delusion that they should believe a lie, [2:12]that they all may be condemned who believe not the truth but have pleasure in wickedness.

4 [2:13]But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you to salvation by purification of spirit, and belief of the truth, [2:14]to which he called you by our gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2:15]Therefore, brothers, stand firm, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle; [2:16]and our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us eternal consolation and a good hope by grace, [2:17] comfort and confirm your hearts in every good work and word.

5 [3:1]Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as also with you, [3:2]and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all have not faith. [3:3]But the Lord is faithful, who will confirm you, and guard you from evil. [3:4]And we trust in the Lord with respect to you, that you both do and will do what we direct. [3:5] And may the Lord direct your hearts in the love of God, and in the patience of Christ.

6 [3:6]And we charge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which you received from us. [3:7]For you know yourselves how you ought to follow us, for we walked not disorderly among you, [3:8]neither did we eat bread of any one for nought, but worked with labor and fatigue, night and day, not to be burdensome to any of you; [3:9]not that we have not a right [to a support], but that we may make ourselves an example for you to follow us. [3:10]For when we were with you, we gave you this charge, that if any one will not work, neither let him eat. [3:11]For we hear that some go about among you in a disorderly manner, not working, but being above work; [3:12]we charge and exhort such, by our Lord Jesus Christ, to work quietly, and eat their own bread. [3:13]But, brothers, be not weary of well doing. [3:14]But if any one obeys not our word by this epistle, mark that one, and have no association with him, that he may be ashamed; [3:15]and account him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. [3:16]And may the Lord of peace give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

7 [3:17]The salutation by my hand, Paul's, which is [the] sign in every epistle; so I write. [3:18]The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

EPHESUS, A.D. 56. (ACTS, 17:3.)