2 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

¹ Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ² Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, just as it is fitting, because your faith is increasing greatly, and the love of each one of you all for one another is increasing; ⁴ so that we ourselves boast concerning you among the churches of God about your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and afflictions that you endure, ⁵ evidence of the righteous judgment of God, for you to be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ⁶ if indeed {it is} righteous for God to return affliction to those who are afflicting you, ⁷ and relief to you who are being afflicted with us at the revealing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those not having known God and on those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus, ⁹ who will pay the penalty—eternal destruction away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his power, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, for our testimony to you has been believed. ¹¹ For this we also pray always for you, so that our God may consider you worthy of the calling and he may fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith in power ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus might be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

¹ Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to him, we ask you, brothers, ² for you not to be quickly shaken in {your} mind and not to be troubled either by a spirit or by a word or by a letter as if from us, as if the day of the Lord has already come. ³ May no one deceive you in any way, for unless the apostacy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, ^{[1] 4} the one who opposes and exalts himself against everything being called god or an object of worship. As a result, he sits in the temple of God, showing that he himself is God. ⁵ Do you not remember that, still being with you, I was telling you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining {him}, until his revealing in his time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only the one who restrains him now will do so until he comes out of the way, ⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth, and will bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming, ⁹ the arrival of whom is according to the work of Satan in all power and signs and false wonders ¹⁰ and in all deceit of unrighteousness to those who are perishing, because of which they did not receive the love of the truth for them to be saved. ¹¹ And because of this, God is sending to them a working of error for them to believe the lie ¹² so that they might all be judged, those who have not believed the truth, but have taken pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³ Now we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers having been loved by the Lord. For God chose you as firstfruits ^[2] for salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth. ^{[3] 14} He called you to this through our gospel, to {the} acquiring of {the} glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers, stand firm and hold tight to the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.

¹⁶ Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave {us} eternal comfort and good hope through grace, ¹⁷ may he comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Chapter 3

¹ Finally, brothers, pray for us so that the word of the Lord might run and might be glorified, just as also with you, ² and so that we might be rescued from the perverse and evil men, for not everyone {has} faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen and keep you from the evil one. ⁴ We are also confident in the Lord about you that you are doing and will do the things we command. ⁵ Now may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for you to keep away from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the traditions which you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know in what manner it is necessary to imitate us, because we did not behave disorderly among you, ⁸ nor did we eat bread from anyone for free, but, working night and day in toil and hardship not to burden any of you, ⁹ not because we do not have authority, but in order that we might offer ourselves {as} an example to you to imitate us. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we were commanding you this, “If anyone is not willing to work, do not even let him eat.” ¹¹ For we hear about some who are walking idly among you, not working, but meddling. ¹² But such ones we are commanding and exhorting in the Lord Jesus Christ, that working with quietness, they might eat their own bread. ¹³ But you, brothers, do not become weary in doing what is right. ¹⁴ Now if anyone does not obey our word through the letter, note this one—not to associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. ¹⁵ And do not consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace through all in every way. The Lord be with you all. ¹⁷ This greeting is in my own hand—Paul—which is a sign in every letter. In this manner I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ {be} with you all.