I Thessalonians 1-3

I Thessalonians 1

¹Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, to the assembly of Thessalonians in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

²We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

³unceasingly remembering of you the work of the faith, and the labour of the love, and the endurance of the hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the presence of our God and Father,

⁴having known, brethren beloved, by God, your election,

⁵because our good news did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, even as ye have known of what sort we became among you because of you,

⁶and ye -- ye did become imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

⁷so that ye became patterns to all those believing in Macedonia and Achaia,

⁸for from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God did go forth, so that we have no need to say anything,

⁹for they themselves concerning us do declare what entrance we had unto you, and how ye did turn unto God from the idols, to serve a living and true God,

¹⁰and to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom He did raise out of the dead -- Jesus, who is rescuing us from the anger that is coming.

I Thessalonians 2

¹For yourselves have known, brethren, our entrance in unto you, that it did not become vain,

²but having both suffered before, and having been injuriously treated (as ye have known) in Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the good news of God in much conflict,

³for our exhortation is not out of deceit, nor out of uncleanness, nor in guile,

⁴but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the good news, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who is proving our hearts,

⁵for at no time did we come with speech of flattery, (as ye have known,) nor in a pretext for covetousness, (God is witness!)

⁶nor seeking of men glory, neither from you nor from others, being able to be burdensome, as Christ's apostles.

⁷But we became gentle in your midst, as a nurse may cherish her own children,

⁸so being desirous of you, we are well-pleased to impart to you not only the good news of God, but also our own souls, because beloved ye have become to us,

⁹for ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail, for, night and day working not to be a burden upon any of you, we did preach to you the good news of God;

¹⁰ye are witnesses -- God also -- how kindly and righteously, and blamelessly to you who believe we became,

¹¹even as ye have known, how each one of you, as a father his own children, we are exhorting you, and comforting, and testifying,

¹²for your walking worthily of God, who is calling you to His own reign and glory.

¹³Because of this also, we -- we do give thanks to God continually, that, having received the word of hearing from us of God, ye accepted, not the word of man, but as it is truly, the word of God, who also doth work in you who believe;

¹⁴for ye became imitators, brethren, of the assemblies of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus, because such things ye suffered, even ye, from your own countrymen, as also they from the Jews,

¹⁵who did both put to death the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and did persecute us, and God they are not pleasing, and to all men are contrary,

¹⁶forbidding us to speak to the nations that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always, but the anger did come upon them -- to the end!

¹⁷And we, brethren, having been taken from you for the space of an hour -- in presence, not in heart -- did hasten the more abundantly to see your face in much desire,

¹⁸wherefore we wished to come unto you, (I indeed Paul,) both once and again, and the Adversary did hinder us;

¹⁹for what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? are not even ye before our Lord Jesus Christ in his presence?

²⁰for ye are our glory and joy.

I Thessalonians 3

¹Wherefore no longer forbearing, we thought good to be left in Athens alone,

²and did send Timotheus -- our brother, and a ministrant of God, and our fellow-workman in the good news of the Christ -- to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith,

³that no one be moved in these tribulations, for yourselves have known that for this we are set,

⁴for even when we were with you, we said to you beforehand, that we are about to suffer tribulation, as also it did come to pass, and ye have known it;

⁵because of this also, I, no longer forbearing, did send to know your faith, lest he who is tempting did tempt you, and in vain might be our labour.

⁶And now Timotheus having come unto us from you, and having declared good news to us of your faith and love, and that ye have a good remembrance of us always, desiring much to see us, as we also to see you,

⁷because of this we were comforted, brethren, over you, in all our tribulation and necessity, through your faith,

⁸because now we live, if ye may stand fast in the Lord;

⁹for what thanks are we able to recompense to God for you, for all the joy with which we do joy because of you in the presence of our God?

¹⁰night and day exceedingly beseeching, that we might see your face, and perfect the things lacking in your faith.

¹¹And our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you,

¹²and you the Lord cause to increase and to abound in the love to one another, and to all, even as we also to you,

¹³to the establishing your hearts blameless in sanctification before our God and Father, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.