Letters to the Churches

Paul, 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!

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

unceasingly 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,

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

because 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,

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

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

for 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,

for 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,

and 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.

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

but 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,

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

but 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,

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

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

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

so 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,

for 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;

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

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

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

Because 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;

for 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,

who 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,