Revised Version 1885 (RV1885)

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

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

3 We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;

4 so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;

5 which isa manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

6 if so be that it is a righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you,

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

8 in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus:

9 who shall suffer punishment,eveneternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

10 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.

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

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

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;

2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord isnowpresent;

3 let no man beguile you in any wise: forit will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,

4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.

5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

6 And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: onlythere isone that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming;

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

10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that are perishing; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:

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

13 But we are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

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

15 So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.

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

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

1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as alsoit iswith you;

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

3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and guard you from the evilone.

4 And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command.

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

6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which they received of us.

7 For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

8 neither did we eat bread for nought at any man’s hand, but in labour and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you:

9 not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you, that ye should imitate us.

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

11 For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.

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

13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.

14 And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

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

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

17 The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

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

1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mentionof youin our prayers;

3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father;

4 knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election,

5 how that our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, andinmuch assurance; even as ye know what manner of men we shewed ourselves toward you for your sake.

6 And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost;

7 so that ye became an ensample to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

8 For from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith to God-ward is gone forth; so that we need not to speak anything.

9 For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you; and how ye turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God,

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,evenJesus, which delivereth us from the wrath to come.

1 For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto you, that it hath not been found vain:

2 but having suffered before, and been shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict.

3 For our exhortationisnot of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:

4 but even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God which proveth our hearts.

5 For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness, God is witness;

6 nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we might have been burdensome, as apostles of Christ.

7 But we were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth her own children:

8 even so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were become very dear to us.

9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

10 Ye are witnesses, and Godalso, how holily and righteously and unblameably we behaved ourselves toward you that believe:

11 as ye know how wedealt witheach one of you, as a father with his own children, exhorting you, and encouragingyou, and testifying,

12 to the end that ye should walk worthily of God, who calleth you into his own kingdom and glory.

13 And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message,even the wordof God, ye accepteditnotasthe word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.

14 For ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus: for ye also suffered the same things of your own countrymen, even as they did of the Jews;

15 who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drave out us, and please not God, and are contrary to all men;

16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins alway: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

17 But we, brethren, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more exceedingly to see your face with great desire:

18 because we would fain have come unto you, I Paul once and again; and Satan hindered us.

19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of glorying? Are not even ye, before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

20 For ye are our glory and our joy.

1 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone;

2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s minister in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfortyouconcerning your faith;

3 that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed.

4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

5 For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labour should be in vain.

6 But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we alsoto seeyou;

7 for this cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith:

8 for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

9 For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;

10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you:

12 and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we alsodotoward you;

13 to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

1 Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,–that ye abound more and more.

2 For ye know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God,evenyour sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;

4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honour,

5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles which know not God;

6 that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

8 Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.

9 But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;

10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;

11 and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;

12 that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.

13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:

5 for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;

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

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

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

9 For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

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

11 Wherefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.

12 But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

13 and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.

15 See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but alway follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.

16 Rejoice alway;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.

19 Quench not the Spirit;

20 despise not prophesyings;

21 prove all things; hold fast that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.

25 Brethren, pray for us.

26 Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.

27 I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the brethren.

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