BWE - I Thessalonians

Chapter 1

1:1  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, send greetings to the church people in the city of Thessalonica. The people of this church belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the kindness of God bless you and give you peace.

1:2  We always thank God for all of you, and we always talk to him about you.

1:3  You do good things because you believe. You work very hard because you have love in your hearts. You are patient because you have hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. We remember these things when we talk to God our Father about you.

1:4  My brothers, God loves you and we know that he has chosen you.

1:5  The good news we brought you was not just words. It had power. It had the Holy Spirit. It made people very sure it was true. And you also know how we lived when we were with you to help you.

1:6  You tried hard to be like us and like the Lord. You had much trouble because you believed our message. Yet the Holy Spirit made you very happy.

1:7  You have shown all the Christians in the countries of Macedonia and Greece how they should live.

1:8  People in Macedonia and Greece have heard from you the message about the Lord. And people everywhere have heard that you believe in God. So there is no need for us to write about your faith.

1:9  They tell us how glad you were to see us. They tell us about how you left your idols and turned to God. You worship the God who is the living and true God.

1:10  And you wait for his Son to come again from heaven. God raised his Son Jesus from death. It is Jesus who saves us from God’s great anger which is to come.

Chapter 2

2:1  My brothers, you yourselves know that our visit to you was not for nothing.

2:2  The people at the city of Philippi treated us very badly. As you know, we had much trouble. But God helped us, and we did not fear to tell you God’s good news. But many things were against us and tried to stop us.

2:3  Our message was not a lie. What we told you was not wrong. And we did not try to fool you.

2:4  But God chose us to tell people the good news. And so we do not speak to please men, but to please God. He is the one who knows what is in our hearts.

2:5  We never said nice things about people that were not true. You know this. We never talked to get something out of it for ourselves. God knows this.

2:6  And we did not ask you or anybody else to help us or to praise us. Of course, we are apostles of Christ, and we had the right to do so.

2:7  But we were kind when we were with you. We were like a woman taking care of her own children.

2:8  Because we loved you, we were glad to give you God’s good news. We were also glad to give you our lives, because we loved you very much.

2:9  My brothers, you remember how hard we worked. We worked night and day so that we would not trouble any of you. And we told you God’s good news.

2:10  We lived in a holy and right way among you Christians. We did nothing wrong to you. You know this yourselves and God knows it too.

2:11  You know how we talked to each of you as a father talks to his children. We comforted, helped, and taught you.

2:12  We told you to live to please God. He called you to his own kingdom and greatness.

2:13  And here is another reason why we always thank God all the time. When you heard God’s word from us, you did not say, ‘That is men’s word.’ But you said, ‘That is God’s word.’ And it really is God’s word. The word is working in you Christians.

2:14  My brothers, you were like the churches of God in Judea which belong to Christ Jesus. The people of your own country troubled you in the same way that the Jews troubled them.

2:15  The Jewish leaders killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets. And they drove us out of their country. They do not please God and they are against all other people.

2:16  They try to stop us from talking to those people who are not Jews. They do not want them to be saved. So they are always doing wrong things. And now at last, God has become very angry with them.

2:17  My brothers, we have been away from you for a short time in body, but not in heart. We wanted very much to see you face to face, and we tried hard to come.

2:18  We wanted to come to you. Twice, I, Paul, wanted to come. But Satan stopped us.

2:19  What is our hope when our Lord Jesus comes? What will make us happy and proud then? It is you people!

2:20  You are ones of whom we are proud. You make us happy.

Chapter 3

3:1  We felt we could not wait any longer. So we thought it best to stay at the city of Athens alone.

3:2  And we sent our brother Timothy to you. He works for God by telling the good news about Christ. We sent him to help you be strong and to encourage you in what you believe.

3:3  We do not want anyone to give up because of the trouble. You yourselves know that we all will surely have trouble.

3:4  When we were with you, we told you that we would have trouble. Trouble came. And now you know what we said is true.

3:5  That is why I could not wait any longer. I sent Timothy to find out if you were still believing. I was afraid that Satan had tried you too much. Then our work would have been for nothing.

3:6  But now Timothy has come back to us from you. He has brought us the good news that you are still believing and have love in your hearts. He has told us that you always remember us. He also told us that you want to see us, just as we want to see you.

3:7  My brothers, the way you believe has comforted us in all our troubles.

3:8  It gives us new life now to know that you are standing strong in the Lord.

3:9  We cannot thank God enough for you. We are very happy about you as we talk to God.

3:10  Night and day we ask God that we may see you face to face. We want to help you know more about what you believe.

3:11  Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, open the way for us to come to you.

3:12  May the Lord make you stronger in your love for each other. Love others in the way we love you.

3:13  We want the Lord to help you to stand strong. And then, when the Lord Jesus comes with all God’s people, you will be holy in the eyes of our God and Father. He will see no fault in you.

Chapter 4

4:1  And now, brothers, here is what we ask you to do. We beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus. We taught you how to live and to please God. You are living that way now, and we want you to do so more and more.

4:2  You know what we told you through the Lord Jesus Christ.

4:3  This is what God wants. He wants you to live clean lives. He wants you to keep away from wrong sex.

4:4  Each of you should know how to control yourself. Honour your body to make it holy.

4:5  Do not have sex with a person you are not married to. Control your strong feelings. Do not act like the people who do not know God.

4:6  Do not do wrong to your Christian brother by taking his wife for yourself. The Lord will surely punish all those who do wrong in these things. We have already told you that and made it very clear.

4:7  God did not call us to live unclean lives. He wants you to live clean and holy lives.

4:8  So anyone who does not obey is not just disobeying a man, but he is disobeying God. And it is God who has given us his Holy Spirit.

4:9  You do not need anyone to write to you about how to love each other. God himself has taught you to be loving towards each other.

4:10  And you do love all the Christian brothers who are in the whole country of Macedonia. But we beg you, brothers, love them more and more.

4:11  Please try to live a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work with your hands as we told you to do.

4:12  Then people who do not belong to the church will respect you. And you will not need help from anyone.

4:13  My brothers, here is something I want you to know about those who have died. You should not cry for them like people cry who have no hope.

4:14  We believe that Jesus died and rose again. And because of what Jesus did, God will bring back with him those who have died.

4:15  We tell you what the Lord said. We who are still alive when the Lord comes, will not go ahead of those who have died.

4:16  The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a shout, a great angel will speak, and God’s loud horn or trumpet will be blown.

4:17  Then we who are still alive on earth will be caught up together with those who were dead. We will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And then we will be with the Lord forever!

4:18  Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

Chapter 5

5:1  My brothers, you do not need anyone to write to you about the day or the year when these things will happen.

5:2  You yourselves surely know that the day of the Lord will come just like a person who comes to steal in the night.

5:3  When people are saying, ‘Everything is quiet and safe,’ they will be destroyed. It will all happen very quickly. And there will be no way out. It will be like the pain that a woman has when a child is born.

5:4  But you, my brothers, are not in the dark. That day should not surprise you like a person who comes to steal.

5:5  You all belong to the light. You belong to the day. We do not belong to the night or to the dark.

5:6  So then, we must not go to sleep like other people. No, we must keep watching and not get drunk.

5:8  Because we belong to the day, we must not get drunk. But we must be ready like people dressed for war. We must keep believing in God. We must be loving towards each other. Faith and love will be like strong clothes to cover our bodies. The hope of being saved will protect us like a hat or helmet covers our head.

5:9  God did not choose us so that he might be angry with us. But he chose us so that we might be saved through our Lord Jesus Christ.

5:10  He died for us so that, if we are alive or dead, we will live with him.

5:11  So comfort and strengthen one another, just as you are doing.

5:12  My brothers, we ask you to respect those who are working among you. They are your leaders in the Lord’s work, and they tell you what you should do.

5:13  My brothers, we beg you, tell this to people who do not do what they should do. Talk to those who fear, and say something that will make them strong. Help those who are weak. Be patient with all people.

5:14  My brothers, we beg you, tell this to people who do not do what they should do. Talk to those who fear, and say something that will make them strong. Help those who are weak. Be patient with all people.

5:15  Do not let anyone do a wrong thing to a person if that person did a wrong thing to him. Always do good to one another. Be good to each other and to all men.

5:16  Always be happy.

5:17  Talk to God at all times.

5:18  Thank God for everything. This is what God wants you to do through Christ Jesus.

5:19  Do not stop the Spirit when he wants to do something.

5:20  Do not despise people who speak words from God.

5:21  But test everything that is said. Keep what is good.

5:22  Have nothing to do with any kind of wrong thing.

5:23  May God himself, who gives peace, make you pure and clean. You are set apart and belong only to him. And may your spirit and soul and body all together be kept free from fault until our Lord Jesus Christ comes.

5:24  It is God who calls you, and he can be trusted. He will surely do what he has said.

5:25  My brothers, ask God to help us.

5:26  Greet all the brothers with a kiss that is holy.

5:27  I give you this order from the Lord. Read this letter to all the Christian brothers.

5:28  May our Lord Jesus Christ bless you. May it be so.