2 Thessalonians 1-3

21st Century King James Version

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

² Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth,

⁴ so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all persecutions and tribulations that ye endure,

⁵ which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.

⁶ For it is a righteous thing with God to recompense with tribulation those who trouble you;

⁷ and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels,

⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who know not God, and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

¹⁰ when He shall come on that Day to be glorified in His saints and to be admired in all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

¹¹ Therefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

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

2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him,

² that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as if from us that the Day of Christ is at hand.

³ Let no man deceive you by any means, for that Day shall not come, unless there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,

⁴ who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sitteth as God in the temple of God, showing himself to be God.

⁵ Remember ye not that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

⁶ And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time.

⁷ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now holdeth back will hold him back, until he is taken out of the way.

⁸ And then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming—

⁹ even him, whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders,

¹⁰ and with all the deceit of unrighteousness in those who perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

¹¹ And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie,

¹² that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you for salvation, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

¹⁴ whereunto He called you by our Gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold to the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God even our Father, who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

3 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, even as it is with you,

² and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all men have faith.

³ But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you and keep you from evil.

⁴ And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that ye both do, and will do, the things which we command you.

⁵ And may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother who walketh disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

⁷ For you yourselves know how ye ought to follow us, for we did not behave disorderly among you;

⁸ neither did we eat any man’s bread for naught, but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you,

⁹ not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.

¹⁰ For even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

¹¹ For we hear that there are some among you who walk disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

¹² Now those who are such, we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.

¹³ But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.

¹⁴ And if any man obey not our word in this epistle, note that man and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

¹⁵ Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

¹⁶ Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷ This salutation of Paul is with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.