2 Thessalonians

Chapter 1

1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of each one of you all for one another is increasing,

4 so that we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring

5 evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering

6 since indeed it is just in God's sight to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

7 and to you who are afflicted, relief along with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus,

9 who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

10 when he comes to be glorified in his saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed, on that day.

11 To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling and fulfill every good pleasure of goodness and work of faith with power,

12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 2

1 Now we ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,

2 that you not be quickly shaken from your mind nor be alarmed, whether by a spirit or by a word or by a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above everything called god or object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what restrains him, so that he may be revealed in his own time.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is out of the way.

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the appearance of his coming;

9 whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 and with every deception of unrighteousness for those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

11 And for this reason God sends them a working of delusion, so that they believe the lie,

12 in order that all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits for salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth,

14 to which he also called you through our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,

17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Chapter 3

1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, just as it is with you,

2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will do the things we command.

5 May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks in idleness and not according to the tradition which they received from us.

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle among you,

8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying, but with labor and toil we worked night and day, so as not to burden any of you

9 not that we do not have the right, but in order to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if anyone is not willing to work, neither let him eat.

11 For we hear that some among you are walking in idleness, not working at all but being busybodies.

12 Now such people we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and eat their own bread.

13 But you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

14 If anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed;

15 and do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

17 The greeting is in my own hand—Paul's—which is a sign in every letter; this is how I write.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.