We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater.

This is evidence of God's righteous judgment, to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering.

He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God's temple, displaying himself as God.

And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time.

For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way,

The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan's working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,

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.

Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.

He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord's message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you,

and we did not eat anyone's food without paying. Instead, in toil and drudgery we worked night and day in order not to burden any of you.

Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and so provide their own food to eat.

But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed.