1 Thessalonians 1-5

21st Century King James Version

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, Unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

³ remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father,

⁴ knowing, brethren beloved, of your election by God.

⁵ For our Gospel came unto you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance, as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

⁶ And ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Ghost,

⁷ so that ye were examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

⁸ For from you sounded forth the Word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad, so that we need not speak anything.

⁹ For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

2 For you yourselves, brethren, know that our coming among you was not in vain.

² But even after we had suffered before and were shamefully treated at Philippi, as ye know, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God amidst much contention.

³ For our exhortation was not from deceit, nor from uncleanness, nor from guile;

⁴ but as we were allowed by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God, who trieth our hearts.

⁵ For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is our witness),

⁶ nor sought we glory from men, neither from you nor yet from others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

⁷ But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.

⁸ So being affectionately desirous for you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

⁹ For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail; for laboring night and day, because we would not be a burden unto any of you, we preached unto you the Gospel of God.

¹⁰ Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you that believe.

¹¹ Ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

¹² that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His Kingdom and glory.

¹⁴ For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God in Judea which are in Christ Jesus; for ye also have suffered like things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews,

¹⁵ who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us. They please not God and are contrary to all men,

¹⁶ forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles, that they might be saved, thus heaping up their sins always. But the wrath has come upon them to the uttermost!

¹⁷ But we, brethren, being taken away from you for a short time (in presence, but not in heart), endeavored the more abundantly and with great desire to see your face.

¹⁸ Therefore we would have come unto you — even I, Paul, time and again — but Satan hindered us.

¹⁹ For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

²⁰ For ye are our glory and joy.

3 Therefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone,

² and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God and our fellow laborer in the Gospel of Christ, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith,

³ that no man should be moved by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that thereunto we are appointed.

⁴ For verily, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we should suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass, as ye know.

⁵ For this cause, when I could no longer forbear it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor be in vain.

⁶ But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have a good remembrance of us always and desire greatly to see us (as we also desire to see you),

⁷ therefore brethren, we were comforted concerning you in all our affliction and distress by your faith;

⁸ for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

⁹ For what thanks can we render to God again for you for all the joy wherewith we rejoice for your sakes before our God,

¹⁰ as we pray earnestly night and day that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

¹¹ Now may God Himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you.

¹² And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men, even as we do toward you,

¹³ to the end that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

4 Furthermore then, we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received from us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

² For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

⁴ that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,

⁵ not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who know not God;

⁶ that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

⁷ For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

⁸ He therefore that despiseth this, despiseth not man but God, who hath also given unto us His holy Spirit.

⁹ But concerning brotherly love, ye have no need that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught by God to love one another;

¹⁰ and indeed ye do it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more,

¹¹ and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

¹² that ye may walk honestly toward those who are outsiders, and that ye may have need of nothing.

¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so will God bring with Him those also who sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord: that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

¹⁷ then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

5 But as to the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

² For you yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

³ For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.

⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that Day should overtake you as a thief.

⁵ Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober.

⁷ For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunken are drunken in the night.

⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ

¹⁰ who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do.

¹² And we beseech you, brethren, that you come to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

¹⁵ See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and with all men.

¹⁶ Rejoice evermore.

¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸ In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

¹⁹ Quench not the Spirit.

²⁰ Despise not prophesyings.

²¹ Test all things; hold fast to that which is good.

²² Abstain from all appearance of evil.

²³ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴ Faithful is He that calleth you; He also will do it.

²⁵ Brethren, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.