2 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

¹ Paul, 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 our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We should always give thanks to God for you, brothers. This is appropriate, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love each of you has for one another increases. ⁴ So we ourselves speak proudly about you among the churches of God. We talk about your patience and faith in all your persecutions. We talk about the afflictions that you endure. ⁵ This is a sign of God's righteous judgment. You will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you suffer. ⁶ For indeed, it is righteous for God to return affliction to those who afflict you, ⁷ and relief to you who are afflicted with us. He will do this at the appearing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power. ⁸ In flaming fire he will take vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not respond to the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will be punished with eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. ¹⁰ He will do this when he comes on that day to be glorified by his people and to be marveled at by all those who believed. For our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ Because of this we also pray continually for you. We pray that our God will consider you worthy of your calling. We pray that he will fulfill every desire of goodness and every work of faith with power. ¹² We pray these things so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified by you. We pray that you will be glorified by him, because of the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

¹ Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to be with him, we ask you, brothers, ² that you not be easily disturbed or troubled, either by a spirit, by a message, or by a letter that seems to be coming from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not come until after the falling away comes, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. ^{[1] 4} This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped. He is the one who sits in the temple of God and exhibits himself as God. ⁵ Do you not remember that when I was with you I told you these things? ⁶ Now you know what restrains him, so that he will be revealed only at the right time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only there is someone who restrains him now until he is taken out of the way. ⁸ Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth. The Lord will bring him to nothing by the revelation of his coming. ⁹ The lawless one's coming will be due to the work of Satan with all power, signs, and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with all deceit of unrighteousness. These things will be for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth for them to be saved. ¹¹ For this reason God is sending them a work of error so that they would believe a lie. ¹² The result is that they will all be judged, those who did not believe the truth but instead took pleasure in unrighteousness.

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

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

Chapter 3

¹ Now, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may rush and be glorified, as it also is with you. ² Pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not all have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord about you, that you both do and will continue to do the things that we command. ⁵ 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, that you avoid every brother who lives a lazy life and does not live according to the traditions you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know it is proper for you to imitate us. We did not live among you as those who had no discipline. ⁸ We did not eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, we worked night and day in difficult labor and hardship, so we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ We did this not because we have no authority. Instead, we did this in order to be an example to you, so that you may imitate us. ¹⁰ For when we were with you, we commanded you, "The one who is unwilling to work must not eat." ¹¹ For we hear that some walk idly among you. They do not work but are instead meddlers. ¹² Now such ones we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they should work with quietness and eat their own food. ¹³ But you, brothers, do not lose heart in doing what is right. ¹⁴ And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of him and have no association with him, so that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Yet do not consider him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all. ¹⁷ This is my greeting, Paul, with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter. This is how I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.