These persecutions will vindicate the justice of God's judgment, and will result in your being reckoned worthy of God's Kingdom, for the sake of which you are now afflicted;

A plain token of God's righteous judgement, I say, since it is a righteous thing for Him to requite with affliction those who are now afflicting you;

and to requite with rest you who are suffering affliction now--rest with us at the re-appearing of the Lord Jesus from Heaven, attended by His mighty angels.

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all that believe (now that our testimony was believed among you) in that day.

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

not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled--either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us--through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Have you no memory of what I said when I was with you, giving you word of these things?

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

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.

So that they all may be judged, who had no faith in what is true, but took pleasure in evil.

But we ought to thank God for you always, brothers [who are] dearly loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning [Note: Some manuscripts use the Greek word for "firstfruits" instead of "beginning" here, but it is difficult to know in what sense the Thessalonian Christians were "first"], in order to be saved through being set apart by the Holy Spirit and through belief of the truth [of the Gospel].

Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,

Now, brothers, pray for us, that the Lord's message may spread rapidly and gloriously as it did among you,

Now, we rely on you in the Lord, confident that you do and will do what we enjoin.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and toward the patient endurance of Christ.

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

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

we did not take free meals from anyone; no, toiling hard at our trade, we worked night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you.

Not that we have no right to such support; it was simply to give you a pattern to copy.

For even when we were with you we gave you orders, saying, If any man does no work, let him not have food.

Indeed, we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined and inappropriate life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies [meddling in other people’s business].

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

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

Have no feeling of hate for him, but take him in hand seriously as a brother.

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