Letters to the Churches

Salute you doth Lukas, the beloved physician, and Demas;

salute ye those in Laodicea--brethren, and Nymphas, and the assembly in his house;

and when the epistle may be read with you, cause that also in the assembly of the Laodiceans it may be read, and the epistle from Laodicea that ye also may read;

and say to Archippus, `See to the ministration that thou didst receive in the Lord, that thou mayest fulfil it.'

The salutation by the hand of me, Paul; remember my bonds; the grace is with you. Amen.

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,