Greetings to the Thessalonians

¹Paul, Silvanus,and Timothy,To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

²Grace and peace to you from God our Fatherand the Lord Jesus Christ.

³We are obligated to thank God for you all the time, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and your love for one another is increasing.

⁴That is why we boast among God’s churches about your perseverance and faith in the face of all the persecution and affliction you are enduring.

Christ’s Coming

⁵All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

⁶After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

⁷and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels

⁸in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

⁹They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,

¹⁰on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.

¹¹To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill your every good desire and work of faith,

¹²so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greetings to the Thessalonians

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

²We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers

³and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you,

⁵because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake.

⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.

⁷As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

⁸For not only did the message of the Lord ring out from you to Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone out to every place, so that we have no need to say anything more.

⁹For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

¹⁰and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.

Preach the Word

¹I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom:

²Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.

³For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.

⁴So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

⁵But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

⁸From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.

Personal Concerns

⁹Make every effort to come to me quickly,

¹⁰because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

¹¹Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry.

¹²Tychicus, however, I have sent to Ephesus.

¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.

¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

¹⁵You too should beware of him, for he has vigorously opposed our message.

The Lord Remains Faithful

¹⁶At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion.

¹⁸And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹⁹Greet Priscaand Aquila, as well as the household of Onesiphorus.

²⁰Erastus has remained at Corinth, and Trophimus I left sick in Miletus.

²¹Make every effort to come to me before winter.Eubulus sends you greetings, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

²²The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

I Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

¹I lift up my eyes to the hills.From where does my help come?

²My help comes from the LORD,the Maker of heaven and earth.

³He will not allow your foot to slip;your Protector will not slumber.

⁴Behold, the Protector of Israelwill neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵The LORD is your keeper;the LORD is the shade on your right hand.

⁶The sun will not strike you by day,nor the moon by night.

⁷The LORD will guard you from all evil;He will preserve your soul.

⁸The LORD will watch over your coming and going,both now and forevermore.