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

remembering unceasingly your work, which is the result of faith, your labor, the cause of which is love, and your patience, which springs from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and Father:

because the good-news from us happened to you not in word only, but also in power, and in Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as ye know what kind of men we became among you, because of you.

and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.

For the word of the Lord has resounded from you and has echoed [like thunder], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place [the news of] your [great] faith in God has spread, so that we never need to say anything about it.

For they themselves report about us, telling what kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

and to [look forward and confidently] wait for [the coming of] His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who [personally] rescues us from the coming wrath [and draws us to Himself, granting us all the privileges and rewards of a new life with Him].

You know yourselves, brothers, that our visit to you was far from ineffectual.

But [even though] we had already suffered and been mistreated at Philippi [See Acts 16:19-24], as you people know, we had the boldness, [with help] from God, to tell you His message in spite of much struggle [i.e., opposition].

For our appeal does not come from delusion or impure motives, nor [is it motivated] by deceit [our message is complete, accurate, and based on the truth—it does not change].

nor did we seek glory and honor from people, neither from you nor from anyone else, though as apostles of Christ we had the power to assert our authority.

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

And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith].

For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same [kind of] persecution from your own countrymen, as they did from the Jews,

forbidding us from speaking to the Gentiles (non-Jews) so that they may be saved. So, as always, they fill up [to the brim] the measure of their sins [allotted to them by God]. But [God’s] wrath has come upon them at last [completely and forever].

But we, brothers, who were orphaned from you for the time of an hour, in presence not in heart, hastened more earnestly to see your face, with much desire.

For which reason we made attempts to come to you, even I, Paul, once and again; but Satan kept us from coming.

Therefore, when we could no longer endure our separation [from you], we thought it best to be left behind, alone at Athens,

But now of Timothy, having come to us from you, and having proclaimed good news to us of your faith and love, and that ye always have a good recollection of us, longing to see us, just as we also 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.

Now, brothers, we ask and beg you, in the face of our union with the Lord Jesus, as you once received from us how you ought to live so as to please God -- as indeed you are living -- to continue to live this life better and better.

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

For it is God's will that you should keep pure in person, that you should practice abstinence from sexual immorality,

that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor [being available for God’s purpose and separated from things profane],

So that your conduct may be seemly toward those that are without, and that you may not need help from any man.

Also we do not want you to have any misunderstanding, brothers, about those who are falling asleep, so as to keep you from grieving over them as others do who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again [from the dead], [we also believe] that God will bring [back to life], along with Jesus, those in [fellowship with] Him who have fallen asleep [in death].

For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself, at the summons sounded by the archangel's call and by God's trumpet, will come down from heaven, and first of all the dead in union with Christ will rise,

Then, we who [will still] be alive, that are left, will be caught up together with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so [from then on] we will always be with the Lord.

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.

And our desire is that you will keep control over those whose lives are not well ordered, giving comfort to the feeble-hearted, supporting those with little strength, and putting up with much from all.

Continue to abstain from every sort of evil.

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.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. {The end of the First Epistle unto the Thessalonians, Sent from Athens.}