They are an evidence of the righteous judgment of God, who will count you worthy of his kingdom, in behalf of which you are even now suffering.

indeed, it is right for God to repay with crushing sorrows those who cause you these crushing sorrows,

and to give rest to you who are being crushed with sorrows, along with us, at the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, with His mighty angels

in a flame of fire, who will take vengeance on those who do not know God, that is, those who will not listen to the good news of our Lord Jesus.

Men who will suffer punishment, a penalty of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

when on that day He comes to be glorified in His consecrated ones and to be admired by all who believe in Him because our testimony has been confidently accepted among you.

Do not let anybody at all deceive you about this, because that cannot take place until the great revolt occurs and the representative of lawlessness is uncovered, the one who is doomed to destruction,

the one who keeps up his opposition and so far exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, that he actually takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but only until he who is holding it back has been gotten out of the way.

And then the lawless will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and will neutralize at the appearance of his coming.

who by the instigation of satan will make his parade with various arts, with fallacious signs and prodigies,

and with a completely wicked deception for men who are on the way to destruction, because they refused to love the truth so as to be saved.

so that all who have refused to believe the truth but have chosen unrighteousness instead might be condemned.

But for you, brothers, whom the Lord loves, I ought to give thanks to God continually, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation in consecration of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and graciously given us encouragement that is eternal, and a hope that is well-founded,

and that we may be delivered from wrong-headed and wicked men; for it is not everybody who has faith.

But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and will keep you from evil.

Now we charge you, brothers, on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, to hold yourselves aloof from any brother who is living as a shirker instead of following the teachings you received from us.

For we hear of some who walk among you disorderly, not working at all, but being busybodies.

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

And may the Lord who gives us peace give you peace in whatever circumstances you may be. The Lord be with you all.