1 Thessalonians 1-5

New American Standard Bible

Giving Thanks for These Believers

1 ^(A)Paul, ^(B)Silvanus, and ^(C)Timothy,

To the ^(D)church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ^(E)Grace to you and peace.

²^(F)We always give thanks to God for all of you, ^(G)making mention of you in our prayers; ³constantly keeping in mind your ^(H)work of faith and labor of ^(I)love and ^[a]^(J)perseverance of hope ^[b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of ^(K)our God and Father, ⁴knowing, ^(L)brothers and sisters, beloved by God, ^(M)His choice of you; ⁵for our ^(N)gospel did not come to you in word only, but also ^(O)in power and in the Holy Spirit and with ^(P)full conviction; just as you know ^(Q)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes. ⁶You also became ^(R)imitators of us and of the Lord, ^(S)having received ^(T)the word during great affliction with the ^(U)joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in ^(V)Macedonia and ^(W)Achaia. ⁸For ^(X)the word of the Lord has ^(Y)sounded forth from you, not only in ^(Z)Macedonia and ^(AA)Achaia, but ^(AB)in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. ⁹For they themselves report about us ^[c]as to the kind of ^(AC)reception we had with you, and how you ^(AD)turned to God ^(AE)from ^[d]idols to serve ^[e]^(AF)a living and true God, ¹⁰and to ^(AG)wait for His Son from ^[f]heaven, whom He ^(AH)raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who ^(AI)rescues us from ^(AJ)the wrath to come.

Paul’s Ministry

2 For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our ^[g]^(AK)reception among you ^(AL)was not in vain, ²but after we had already suffered and been ^(AM)treated abusively in ^(AN)Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God ^(AO)to speak to you the ^(AP)gospel of God ^[h]amid much ^[i]^(AQ)opposition. ³For our ^(AR)exhortation does not come from ^(AS)error or ^(AT)impurity or ^[j]by way of ^(AU)deceit; ⁴^(AV)but just as we have been approved by God to be ^(AW)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, ^(AX)not intending to please people, but to please God, who ^[k]^(AY)examines our hearts. ⁵For we never came ^[l]with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(AZ)a pretext ^[m]for greed—^(BA)God is our witness— ⁶nor did we ^(BB)seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though ^[n]we could have ^[o]asserted our authority as ^(BC)apostles of Christ. ⁷But we ^[p]proved to be ^[q]^(BD)gentle ^[r]among you. ^(BE)As a nursing mother ^[s]tenderly cares for her own children, ⁸in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to ^(BF)share with you not only the ^(BG)gospel of God, but also our own ^[t]lives, because you had become ^[u]very dear to us.

⁹For you recall, brothers and sisters, our ^(BH)labor and hardship: it was by ^(BI)working night and day so as not to be a ^(BJ)burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the ^(BK)gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and so is ^(BL)God, of ^(BM)how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we ^[v]behaved toward you ^[w]believers; ¹¹just as you know how we were ^(BN)exhorting and encouraging and ^(BO)imploring each one of you as ^(BP)a father would his own children, ¹²so that you would ^(BQ)walk in a manner worthy of the God who ^(BR)calls you into His own kingdom and ^(BS)glory.

¹³For this reason we also constantly ^(BT)thank God that when you received the ^(BU)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(BV)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(BW)which also is at work in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brothers and sisters, became ^(BX)imitators of ^(BY)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are ^(BZ)in Judea, for ^(CA)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, ^(CB)even as they did from the Jews, ¹⁵^(CC)who both killed the Lord Jesus and ^(CD)the prophets, and ^[x]drove us out. ^[y]They are not pleasing to God, ^[z]but hostile to all people, ¹⁶^(CE)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(CF)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^[aa]^(CG)reach the limit of their sins. But ^(CH)wrath has come upon them ^[ab]fully.

¹⁷But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a ^[ac]short while—^(CI)in ^[ad]person, not in ^[ae]spirit—were all the more eager with great desire ^(CJ)to see your face. ¹⁸^[af]For ^(CK)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^[ag]^(CL)more than once—and ^(CM)Satan ^(CN)hindered us. ¹⁹For who is our hope, or ^(CO)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His ^[ah]^(CP)coming? Or is it not indeed you? ²⁰For you are ^(CQ)our glory and joy.

Encouragement of Timothy’s Visit

3 Therefore, ^(CR)when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at ^(CS)Athens, ²and we sent ^(CT)Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the benefit of your faith, ³so that no one would be ^[ai]disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that ^(CU)we have been destined for this. ⁴For even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; ^[aj]^(CV)and so it happened, ^[ak]as you know. ⁵For this reason, ^(CW)when I could no longer endure it, I also ^(CX)sent to ^[al]find out about your faith, for fear that ^(CY)the tempter might have tempted you, and ^(CZ)our labor would be for nothing.

⁶But now that ^(DA)Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of ^(DB)your faith and love, and that you always ^(DC)think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, ⁷for this reason, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; ⁸for now we really live, if you ^(DD)stand firm in the Lord. ⁹For ^(DE)what thanks can we give to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice because of you before our God, ¹⁰as we ^(DF)keep praying most earnestly night and day that we may ^(DG)see your faces, and may ^(DH)complete what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹^(DI)Now may ^(DJ)our God and Father ^(DK)Himself, and our Lord Jesus, ^(DL)direct our way to you; ¹²and may the Lord cause you to increase and ^(DM)overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; ¹³so that He may ^(DN)establish your hearts ^(DO)blameless in holiness before ^(DP)our God and Father at the ^[am]^(DQ)coming of our Lord Jesus ^(DR)with all His ^[an]saints.

Sanctification and Love

4 ^(DS)Finally then, ^(DT)brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to ^[ao]^(DU)walk and ^(DV)please God (just as you actually do ^[ap]walk), that you ^(DW)excel even more. ²For you know what instructions we gave you ^[aq]by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you ^(DX)abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴that ^(DY)each of you know how to ^[ar]possess his own ^[as]^(DZ)vessel in sanctification and ^(EA)honor, ⁵not in ^[at]^(EB)lustful passion, like the Gentiles who ^(EC)do not know God; ⁶and that no one violate the rights and ^(ED)take advantage of his brother or sister ^(EE)in the matter, because ^(EF)the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also ^(EG)told you previously and solemnly warned you. ⁷For ^(EH)God has not called us for ^[au]^(EI)impurity, but in sanctification. ⁸Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who ^(EJ)gives His Holy Spirit to you.

⁹Now as to the ^(EK)love of the brothers and sisters, you ^(EL)have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are ^(EM)taught by God to love one another; ¹⁰for indeed ^(EN)you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to ^(EO)excel even more, ¹¹and to make it your ambition ^(EP)to lead a quiet life and ^(EQ)attend to your own business and ^(ER)work with your hands, just as we instructed you, ¹²so that you will ^[av]^(ES)behave properly toward ^(ET)outsiders and ^[aw]^(EU)not be in any need.

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³But ^(EV)we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who ^[ax]^(EW)are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed ^(EX)the rest of mankind do, who have ^(EY)no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, ^(EZ)so also God will bring with Him ^(FA)those who have fallen asleep ^[ay]through Jesus. ¹⁵For we say this to you ^(FB)by the word of the Lord, that ^(FC)we who are alive ^[az]and remain until ^(FD)the coming of the Lord will not precede ^(FE)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord ^(FF)Himself ^(FG)will descend from heaven with a ^[ba]^(FH)shout, with the voice of ^(FI)the archangel and with the ^(FJ)trumpet of God, and ^(FK)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then ^(FL)we who are alive, who remain, will be ^(FM)caught up together with them ^(FN)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always ^(FO)be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore, ^[bb]comfort one another with these words.

The Day of the Lord

5 Now as to the ^(FP)periods and ^[bc]times, brothers and sisters, you ^(FQ)have no need of anything to be written to you. ²For you yourselves know full well that ^(FR)the day of the Lord is coming ^(FS)just like a thief in the night. ³While they are saying, “^(FT)Peace and safety!” then ^(FU)sudden destruction ^[bd]will come upon them like ^(FV)labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴But you, brothers and sisters, are not in ^(FW)darkness, so that the day would overtake you ^[be]^(FX)like a thief; ⁵for you are all ^(FY)sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of ^(FZ)darkness; ⁶so then, let’s not ^(GA)sleep as ^[bf]^(GB)others do, but let’s be alert and ^[bg]^(GC)sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, ^(GD)get drunk at night. ⁸But since ^(GE)we are of the day, let’s ^(GF)be ^[bh]sober, having put on the ^(GG)breastplate of ^(GH)faith and love, and as a ^(GI)helmet, the ^(GJ)hope of salvation. ⁹For God has not destined us for ^(GK)wrath, but for ^(GL)obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰^(GM)who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. ¹¹Therefore, ^[bi]encourage one another and ^(GN)build one another up, just as you also are doing.

Christian Conduct

¹²But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to ^(GO)recognize those ^(GP)who diligently labor among you and ^[bj]^(GQ)are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you ^[bk]instruction, ¹³and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work. ^(GR)Live in peace with one another. ¹⁴We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish ^(GS)the ^[bl]unruly, encourage ^(GT)the fainthearted, help ^(GU)the weak, be ^(GV)patient with everyone. ¹⁵See that ^(GW)no one repays another with evil for evil, but always ^(GX)seek what is good for one another and for all people. ¹⁶^(GY)Rejoice always, ¹⁷^(GZ)pray without ceasing, ¹⁸in everything ^(HA)give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹^(HB)Do not quench the Spirit, ²⁰do not utterly reject ^[bm]^(HC)prophecies, ²¹but ^(HD)examine everything; ^(HE)hold firmly to that which is good, ²²abstain from every ^[bn]form of evil.

²³Now ^(HF)may the God of peace ^(HG)Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your ^(HH)spirit and soul and body be kept complete, ^(HI)without blame at ^(HJ)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴^(HK)Faithful is He who ^(HL)calls you, and He also will do it.

²⁵Brothers and sisters, ^(HM)pray for us^[bo].

²⁶^(HN)Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. ²⁷I put you under oath by the Lord to ^(HO)have this letter read to all the ^(HP)brothers and sisters.

²⁸^(HQ)May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.