Day 265 of 365

¹But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you.

²For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.

³For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.

⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.

⁵You are all children of light, and children of the day. We do not belong to the night, nor to darkness,

⁶so then let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober.

⁷For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who are drunk are drunk in the night.

⁸But let us, since we belong to the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and, for a helmet, the hope of salvation.

⁹For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁰who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

¹¹Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do.

¹²But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you,

¹³and to respect and honor them in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all.

¹⁵See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.

¹⁶Rejoice always.

¹⁷Pray without ceasing.

¹⁸In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit.

²⁰Do not despise prophesies.

²¹Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.

²²Abstain from every form of evil.

²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.

²⁵Brothers, pray for us.

²⁶Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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

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

³We are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers, even as it is appropriate, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of each and every one of you towards one another abounds;

⁴so that we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you endure.

⁵This is an obvious sign of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer.

⁶Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you,

⁷and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

⁸giving vengeance to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,

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

¹⁰when he comes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed (because our testimony to you was believed) in that day.

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

¹²that 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.

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

²not to be quickly shaken in your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as from us, saying that the day of the Lord had come.

³Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the departure comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

⁴he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

⁵Do you not remember that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?

⁶Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

⁷For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.

⁸Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;

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

¹⁰and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

¹¹Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie;

¹²that they all might be judged who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

¹³But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;

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

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

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

¹⁷comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

¹Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you;

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

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

⁴We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you both do and will do the things we command.

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

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion, and not after the tradition which they received from us.

⁷For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we did not behave ourselves rebelliously among you,

⁸neither did we eat bread from anyone's hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you;

⁹not because we do not have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us.

¹⁰For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: "If anyone will not work, neither let him eat."

¹¹For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who do not work at all, but are busybodies.

¹²Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

¹³But you, brothers, do not be weary in doing well.

¹⁴If any man does not obey our word in this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

¹⁵Do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

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

¹⁷The greeting of me, Paul, with my own hand, which is the sign in every letter: this is how I write.

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