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1 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

1 {I,} Paul, {am writing this letter}. Silas and Timothy {are with me. We are sending this letter} to {you,} the assembly of believers in the Messiah in the city of Thessalonica, who are united to God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Messiah. {May God continue to be} kind to you and make you peaceful.

2 We pray for you very often. {When we do,} we always thank God for you all. 3 We thank our God and Father for the work that you do because you trust {in him}. We thank him for the way that you energetically help people because you love {them}. We thank him for the way that you patiently endure because you confidently expect our Lord Jesus the Messiah {to keep his promises}. 4 {We also thank God because} we know that he loves you, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, and chose you {to become his people}. 5 {We know that God chose you,} because when we told you the good news {about Jesus}, it was not only with words, but the Holy Spirit also powerfully worked {through us}. He also strongly assured {us that he had chosen you}. In the same way, you know what kind of people we are, because when we were with you, everything that we did was to benefit you. 6 As for you, you proceeded to live as we do and as the Lord {Jesus} lived. When you believed the message {of the good news}, people caused you to suffer {because you did that. But even though you were suffering,} the Holy Spirit caused you to rejoice. 7 Because all of the people who trust {in the Messiah} throughout the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia heard {of how you remained joyful while people made you suffer}, they wanted to also live as you do. 8 In fact, many people have heard you tell the message about the Lord {Jesus}. Then they also have proclaimed the message to other people who live throughout Macedonia and Achaia provinces. Even beyond that, people who live in many far-away places have heard about how you trust in God. As a result, we do not need to tell people anything {about what God has done for you}. 9 These same people {who live far from you} are also telling {others} about how you {warmly} welcomed us. They also are telling {others} that you stopped worshiping {non-living} statues of false gods so that you could worship and obey the living God. He is the {only} real God. 10 {They} also {are telling others that you stopped worshiping the false gods} so that you could eagerly wait for God’s Son Jesus {to return to earth} from heaven. {As you know,} God resurrected Jesus after he died, and Jesus is the one who will rescue us {who believe in him} at the time when God will punish people {for their sins}.

Chapter 2

1 {Our} fellow believers in the Messiah, you are well aware that the time we spent with you was quite productive. 2 As you know, people in the city of Philippi previously caused us to suffer and abused us, but our God made us courageous to speak his good news to you despite how hard we struggled {against those who tried to stop us from} speaking God’s good news to you. 3 Certainly, {when} we encouraged you {to believe God’s good news, we did} not {try} to convince you to believe an incorrect message. {We were} not selfishly motivated. {We did} not {try} to deceive {you with what we said}. 4 Actually, we speak God’s good news since he has examined us and approved that we are trustworthy to do so. When we speak God’s good news, we are not {trying} to please people. Instead, {we are trying} to please God. God is the one who {constantly} examines what motivates us to speak {his good news}. 5 In fact, when we previously came, we did not try to please you by flattering you. You know this is true. {We are} not greedily motivated, so we did not need to say things to try to hide how greedy we are from you. God confirms that this is true! 6 {We did} not {hope that} people would honor {us–}not you and not others{–} 7 {Yet,} we could have made you submit to us, since we are the Messiah’s authorized representatives. Instead, we acted as gentle as infants while we were with you. We acted {as gentle} as a {nurturing} mother {who} comforts her own children. 8 Since we are so fond of you, we delighted to share God’s good news with you. Not only that, but {we} also {delighted to share} our own lives {with you}. {This is} because we started to love you {so much}. 9 Certainly {our} fellow believers, you remember how hard we labored. We kept working during the night and the day. This was so that we would not have to ask any of you to help us financially. Even though we were working, we {still} proclaimed God’s good news to you. 10 Both you and God testify to how faithfully, righteously, and innocently we behaved toward {all of} you who trust {in God}. 11 Each and every one of you knows this personally: {we behaved} the same way {towards you,} as a father {behaves towards} his own children. 12 {We kept} urging and encouraging and testifying that all of you should live the way that God wants his people to live! This is because God {keeps} inviting you to enter his own glorious kingdom.

13 We also continually thank God for this reason: you accepted God’s message when we reported it to you. You did not consider it to be merely a human message. {You accepted} the message as if God sent it himself. And God actually gave us the message to report! {We} also {constantly thank God} that for those of you who trust in him, God is effectively changing you to live like his people should. 14-15 {Unbelieving} Jews in Judea not only killed the prophets {long ago}, but they {recently} also killed the Lord Jesus. They also severely mistreated us {apostles}. These unbelieving Jews also made the Judean believers in the Messiah suffer. Certainly, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, you imitated those assemblies of God in Judea that are united to Jesus the Messiah by suffering the same things from your fellow countrymen. God is thoroughly displeased with these {unbelieving} Jews. They are also enemies of the whole human race! 16 The unbelieving Jews keep trying to stop us from telling {God’s good news to} those people who are not Jews. This is because the unbelieving Jews do not want God to save those who are not Jews. These unbelieving Jews continue to sin so much that they have almost reached the limit that God will allow. Indeed, when they least expect it, God will punish them at the end {of time}!

17 {Our} fellow believers, being so far away deprived {us} from seeing you for a short time. But, although we were far away from you, we did not become less affectionate {towards you}. We became even more eager and deeply desired to see you in person. 18 Indeed, we wanted to visit you. I, Paul, even {tried to come} two times, but {when we tried to come,} Satan opposed us. 19 We wanted to visit because we are so confident {about your trust in God. Being in your presence} also makes us joyful. {Since you are so faithful to God,} we are sure we have achieved what God wanted us to do. {Certainly, we are} also {convinced that we will all be together} in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes {again}! 20 Because of you, we glorify {God} and rejoice!

Chapter 3

1 So then, when we {felt like we} could not possibly wait any longer, we thought it was appropriate for only Silas and me to stay behind in the city of Athens. 2 But, we still sent Timothy {to you}. He works alongside us and serves God by {proclaiming} the good news about the Messiah. {Silas and I sent him} in order to support and encourage you to remain faithful {to God}. 3 {We also sent Timothy to you} so that when people afflict us {apostles}, it would not cause any of you to waver {in how you trust God}. You are well aware that {God} determined that people would afflict us {apostles}. 4 In fact, even while we {apostles} were visiting you, we kept warning you ahead of time. We warned you that God determined for people to afflict us {apostles}. You are well aware that this is exactly what occurred. 5 Again this is why, when I {felt like I} could not possibly wait any longer, I sent {Timothy to you. I was concerned} to learn if you were still trusting {in God. I was concerned that} somehow Satan tempted you {to stop trusting in God. If you would have stopped trusting in God,} then all of the hard work we accomplished {among you} would have turned out to be useless!

6 Timothy recently returned to Silas and me from his visit with you. He told us the good news about how much you trust and love {God. He also told us} that whenever you think about us, it makes you happy. {He told us} how much you desire to visit us. We have that same desire too! 7 {Our} fellow believers in the Messiah, during the whole time people abused and afflicted us–God encouraged us about you. We were encouraged {when learning from Timothy} that you {still} trust {in God}. 8 Indeed, we feel revived since you continue {to trust} in the Lord {Jesus}! 9 Indeed, we cannot thank God enough for what he has done for you! {When we pray} to our God, we abundantly rejoice because of {how much} you {trust in him}! 10 We constantly and excessively beg God {that we would be able} to see you in person. {We} also {desire} to help you increase how much you trust {in God}!

11 Now, we pray to God our Father, and to our Lord Jesus, that they will allow us to visit you {again}! 12 {We} pray that the Lord {Jesus} will cause you to increase more and more in how much you love your fellow believer. {We} also pray that he will cause you to excel in loving all people. This is exactly the way we love you! 13 {We pray that our Lord Jesus} will strengthen how much you desire {to love each other. We pray that our Lord Jesus} will enable you to live in a way that God our Father considers faultless for those who belong to him. {We pray all of these things so that you will be ready} when our Lord Jesus comes {a second time}, bringing all those who belong to him. May it be so!

Chapter 4

1-2 {Our} fellow believers in the Messiah, here is a summary {of this letter}. Since we are the spokespersons of the Lord Jesus, we urge and encourage you to keep putting into practice what we taught you. This is how it is necessary for you to live and to please God. Then you will excel even more, because you are aware of the commands the Lord Jesus told us to give you.

3 Certainly, God wills for you to live in a way that demonstrates that you completely belong to him: {He desires} that you refrain from committing {any} sexually immoral acts. 4 {God wills} that each one of you only have sexual relations with his own wife. {God wills} that you treat your wives like they belong to God, and to honor them. 5 {You must not use your wife} to lustfully gratify what you desire. This is because the nations who are not God’s people live this way. 6 {God also wills} that no one violates and takes advantage of {the wife of} his fellow believer in the Messiah like this. This is because the Lord {Jesus} will avenge all these {sexually immoral} acts. The Lord {Jesus} will avenge exactly as we previously said and strongly warned you. 7 Certainly God does not summon us {believers in the Messiah into his glorious kingdom} for the purpose of impure {living}. Instead, God wills that we live like those who belong to him. 8 For this very reason, {I warn each one of you. Since God has told us to say these things,} if anyone {continues to} reject what we say, you are not {simply} rejecting a human being. No, you are rejecting God himself! You are rejecting God who {continually} shares his Holy Spirit with all of you!

9 Now, {about your question,} there is {really} no need {for anyone} to write to {remind} you how fellow believers in the Messiah should act affectionately toward each other. This is because it is certain that you have already learned what God teaches, “love each other.” 10 Certainly you are {already} acting lovingly to all the fellow believers in the Messiah who live throughout Macedonia. Yet, our fellow believers in the Messiah, we {want to} urge all of you to excel in loving {each other} even more! 11 {We} also {urge you} to aspire to live peacefully. {We urge you} to keep busy with your own matters. {We urge you} to focus on working to earn what you need to live. Do what we already commanded you. 12 {We urge you to do these things,} so that you can set a good example toward those who do not believe in the Messiah {by how modestly you live.} Then you would not have to depend {on others} to provide what you need {to live}.

13 Also, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, we want you to be aware about {what will happen to} believers in the Messiah who are dead. You should not be like the rest of humanity, which does not believe in the Messiah. They are deeply sad because they do not confidently expect that people will resurrect after death. 14 Certainly, we {apostles} are convinced that Jesus died and resurrected. This is why we also are convinced that God will {resurrect} the dead people who are united to Jesus. Then God will send them back with Jesus {when he returns to earth again}. 15 In fact, what we {apostles} are now telling you is a message from the Lord {Jesus himself}. When the Lord {Jesus} comes again{, all believers in the Messiah will greet him}. First, those {believers in the Messiah} who have {already} died will certainly greet him, and then we {believers in the Messiah} who are still alive. 16 {This is how} the Lord {Jesus} will come down from heaven: the Lord {Jesus} himself will personally give the command {for all to resurrect}. The chief angel will shout. God’s trumpet will blast. Then {all} the dead who are united to the Messiah will be the first to resurrect {from the earth}. 17 After that, God will snatch up all of us believers in the Messiah who are still alive on earth so that we can meet the Lord {Jesus} in the air. Both groups of believers in the Messiah will meet together on the clouds. This is how we will remain together with the Lord {Jesus} forever! 18 As a result, you must encourage each other with this message!

Chapter 5

1 {Now I want you to be aware of the timing of our Lord’s return to earth} Our fellow believers in the Messiah, we do not {really} need to write {anything} to you about the specific time {of our Lord’s return}. 2 This is because you yourselves already know accurately about the time when the Lord {Jesus} will come back. You also know that he will come {unexpectedly}, like when a robber comes at night. 3 {The Lord Jesus} will come at a time when people are saying, “{We are} safe and secure!” Then, suddenly, God will overwhelm and destroy them! It will be similar to when a pregnant woman cannot escape being overwhelmed by labor pains. In the same way, those people can never escape {when God destroys}! 4 However, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, you are not people who are unaware of what will happen, like when people are in the darkness. This is why, when the Lord Jesus returns to earth to punish the people who do not belong to him, he will not surprise you as if he were a thief. 5 {Since} you are all God’s children, {you should live ready for Jesus to return to earth}, like people who are in the light or awake during day are aware of what is happening. We are not {Satan’s children,} who live unaware of what will happen, like people at night or in the darkness {who cannot perceive as well}. 6 So, this is why, {as God’s children, we must live ready for what will happen. We must} not live unaware of what will happen like the rest of humanity, who are just like people who are sleeping. Instead, we must stay alert and remain attentive, {expecting Jesus to return to earth}. 7 It is well known that when people are unaware of what will happen, it is {usually} at night, when they are sleeping. And when people get drunk, they are not ready for what will happen. They {usually} get drunk at night, {when they cannot perceive things as well}. 8 But {we who are ready for the Lord Jesus to return to earth do not live unaware of what will happen like these people. Since} we are ready, we must remain attentive. We must fully arm ourselves {like soldiers}. Faithful love {towards God should cover our chests} like a breastplate. Being confident {that God} will save us {should fully protect our heads} like a helmet.

9 Since {we are his people,} God did not destine that he would punish us {for our sins}. Instead, he destined that our Lord, Jesus the Messiah, would preserve and save us. 10 Jesus died in our place so that we would live {forever} with him. {This is true,} whether we are alive or dead {when he returns to earth}. 11 Since this is true, continue to habitually encourage and support each and every one {of your fellow believers in the Messiah}!

12 Finally, {our} fellow believers in the Messiah, we request that you give recognition to your spiritual leaders who work hard among you, in the same way you would give recognition to the Lord {Jesus}. You should also give them recognition because they continually warn and instruct you {about living like believers in the Messiah should}. 13 Because {of how hard} they work {for you,} we also request {that} you abundantly love your spiritual leaders by being considerate of them. {We also urge} that you keep living peacefully with each other.

14 {Our} fellow believers in the Messiah, we now urge that you warn and instruct those who live inappropriately. We {also} urge that you cheer up those who are discouraged. We {also} urge that you support those who are weak. We {also} urge that you live patiently with every one {of your fellow believers in the Messiah}. 15 If someone treats you badly, make sure that you do not treat them badly in return. Instead, whenever {you can,} actively look for ways to kindly treat every {fellow believer in the Messiah}.

16 Be joyful all the time! 17 Constantly pray! 18 Keep giving thanks to God in every situation! Indeed, God desires for all of you who are united to Jesus the Messiah to do all these things.

19 Do not {try to stop} the {Holy} Spirit {from working among you. That would be like someone trying to} extinguish {a fire}! 20 {In other words,} do not scorn prophecies {that the Holy Spirit gives to other believers in the Messiah}! 21 {Instead,} keep evaluating all {of the prophecies and} retain {only} those that prove to be excellent. 22 Refrain from any thing that appears to be wicked!

23 In summary, we pray that God will personally make you live like people who completely belong to him. God is the one who gives his people peace. We also pray that God will preserve you completely innocent for the time when our Lord Jesus the Messiah arrives on earth again. 24 The faithful God {continually} summons all of you {to live like those who completely belong to him. So, you can be certain that} he will also do {whatever is necessary for you to be able to live like those who completely belong to him}.

25 {Our} fellow believers in the Messiah, we also ask that you keep praying for me, for Silas, and for Timothy! 26 When you meet together {for worship}, affectionately greet each of your fellow believers in the Messiah in a way that is appropriate for those who belong to God. 27 I want you to swear an oath to the Lord {Jesus}, that you will read this letter to all the believers in the Messiah {among you}! 28 May our Lord Jesus the Messiah {continue to} act kindly toward all of you!