Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

We give praise to God at all times for you, keeping you in memory in our prayers;

Having ever in mind your work of faith and acts of love and the strength of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;

Being conscious, my brothers, dear to God, that you have been marked out by God's purpose;

Because our good news came to you, not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Spirit, so that you were completely certain of it; even as you saw what our behaviour to you was like from our love to you.

For not only was the word of the Lord sounding out from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God is made clear; so that we have no need to say anything.

For they themselves give the news of how we came among you; and how you were turned from images to God, to the worship of a true and living God,

But after we had first undergone much pain and been cruelly attacked as you saw, at Philippi, by the help of God we gave you the good news without fear, though everything was against us.

But even as the good news was given to us by the approval of God, so we give it out; not as pleasing men, but God by whom our hearts are tested.

For it is common knowledge among you that we never made use of smooth-sounding false words, and God is witness that at no time were we secretly desiring profit for ourselves,

Even so, being full of loving desire for you, we took delight in giving you not only God's good news, but even our lives, because you were dear to us.

For you have the memory, my brothers, of our trouble and care; how, working night and day, so that we might not be a trouble to any of you, we gave you the good news of God.

You are witnesses, with God, how holy and upright and free from all evil was our way of life among you who have faith;

So that your lives might be pleasing to God, who has given you a part in his kingdom and his glory.

And for this cause we still give praise to God, that, when the word came to your ears through us, you took it, not as the word of man, but, as it truly is, the word of God, which has living power in you who have faith.

For you, my brothers, took as your examples the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus; because you underwent the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews;

Who put to death the Lord Jesus and the prophets, violently driving us out; who are unpleasing to God and against all men;

Who, to make the measure of their sins complete, kept us from giving the word of salvation to the Gentiles: but the wrath of God is about to come on them in the fullest degree.

We sent Timothy, our brother and God's servant in the good news of Christ, to give you strength and comfort in your faith;

So that no man might be moved by these troubles; because you see that these things are part of God's purpose for us.

For this reason, when I was no longer able to keep quiet, I sent to get news of your faith, fearing that you might be tested by the Evil One and that our work might come to nothing.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has given us good news of your faith and love, and that you have happy memories of us, desiring greatly to see us, even as we do to see you;

For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God;

Night and day requesting God again and again that we may see your face and make your faith complete.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus make a way for us to come to you;

So that your hearts may be strong and free from all sin before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.

For the purpose of God for you is this: that you may be holy, and may keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh;

Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;

And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.

Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.

Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

But about loving the brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you in this letter: for you have the teaching of God that love for one another is right and necessary;

And that you may take pride in being quiet and doing your business, working with your hands as we gave you orders;

For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power.

When they say, There is peace and no danger, then sudden destruction will come on them, as birth-pains on a woman with child; and they will not be able to get away from it.

For God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Let no one give evil for evil; but ever go after what is good, for one another and for all.

In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Let all things be tested; keep to what is good;

And may the God of peace himself make you holy in every way; and may your spirit and soul and body be free from all sin at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God, by whom you have been marked out in his purpose, is unchanging and will make it complete.