1 Thessalonians 1:1-4:10

New King James Version

Greeting

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

To the church of the ^(B)Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace ^[a]from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Good Example

²^(C)We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, ³remembering without ceasing ^(D)your work of faith, ^(E)labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, ⁴knowing, beloved brethren, ^(F)your election by God. ⁵For ^(G)our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, ^(H)and in the Holy Spirit ^(I)and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

⁶And ^(J)you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, ^(K)with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. ⁸For from you the word of the Lord ^(L)has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also ^(M)in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. ⁹For they themselves declare concerning us ^(N)what manner of entry we had to you, ^(O)and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰and ^(P)to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us ^(Q)from the wrath to come.

Paul’s Conduct^(R)

2 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. ²But ^[b]even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at ^(S)Philippi, as you know, we were ^(T)bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. ³^(U)For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.

⁴But as ^(V)we have been approved by God ^(W)to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, ^(X)not as pleasing men, but God ^(Y)who tests our hearts. ⁵For ^(Z)neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a ^[c]cloak for covetousness—^(AA)God is witness. ⁶^(AB)Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when ^(AC)we might have ^(AD)made demands ^(AE)as apostles of Christ. ⁷But ^(AF)we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. ⁸So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased ^(AG)to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also ^(AH)our own lives, because you had become dear to us. ⁹For you remember, brethren, our ^(AI)labor and toil; for laboring night and day, ^(AJ)that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

¹⁰^(AK)You are witnesses, and God also, ^(AL)how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; ¹¹as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and ^[d]charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, ¹²^(AM)that you would walk worthy of God ^(AN)who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Their Conversion

¹³For this reason we also thank God ^(AO)without ceasing, because when you ^(AP)received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it ^(AQ)not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively ^(AR)works in you who believe. ¹⁴For you, brethren, became imitators ^(AS)of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For ^(AT)you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, ¹⁵^(AU)who killed both the Lord Jesus and ^(AV)their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God ^(AW)and are ^[e]contrary to all men, ¹⁶^(AX)forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always ^(AY)to fill up the measure of their sins; ^(AZ)but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.

Longing to See Them

¹⁷But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time ^(BA)in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. ¹⁸Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but ^(BB)Satan hindered us. ¹⁹For ^(BC)what is our hope, or joy, or ^(BD)crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the ^(BE)presence of our Lord Jesus Christ ^(BF)at His coming? ²⁰For you are our glory and joy.

Concern for Their Faith

3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ²and sent ^(BG)Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ³^(BH)that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that ^(BI)we are appointed to this. ⁴^(BJ)For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. ⁵For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, ^(BK)lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and ^(BL)our labor might be in vain.

Encouraged by Timothy

⁶^(BM)But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, ^(BN)as we also to see you— ⁷therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress ^(BO)we were comforted concerning you by your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you ^(BP)stand fast in the Lord.

⁹For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face ^(BQ)and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Prayer for the Church

¹¹Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(BR)direct our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord make you increase and ^(BS)abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³so that He may establish ^(BT)your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Plea for Purity

4 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^(BU)that you should abound more and more, ^(BV)just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ²for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is ^(BW)the will of God, ^(BX)your sanctification: ^(BY)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴^(BZ)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵^(CA)not in passion of lust, ^(CB)like the Gentiles ^(CC)who do not know God; ⁶that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^(CD)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^(CE)but in holiness. ⁸^(CF)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^(CG)who^[f] has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A Brotherly and Orderly Life

⁹But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for ^(CH)you yourselves are taught by God ^(CI)to love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^(CJ)that you increase more and more;