Godbey - I Thessalonians

Chapter 1

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

1:2  We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention in our prayers;

1:3  incessantly remembering your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before God even our Father;

1:4  knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election,

1:5  because our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as you know what sort we were among you for your sakes.

1:6  And you became imitators of us, and the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation, with the joy of the Holy Ghost;

1:7  so that you are an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1:8  For from you the word of the Lord echoed out, not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but in every place your faith which is towards God has gone forth; so that we have no need to say any thing:

1:9  for they proclaim concerning what kind of reception we had unto you; and how you turned to God from the idols, to serve the true and the living God,

1:10  and to await his Son out of the heavens, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus the one delivering us from the wrath to come.

Chapter 2

2:1  For you know, brethren, our coming unto you, that it was not in vain:

2:2  but having suffered, and been abused, as you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict.

2:3  For our exhortation was not from delusion, nor from impurity, nor in guile:

2:4  but as we were approved of God that the gospel should be intrusted unto us, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God who is proving our hearts,

2:5  For at that time we were not in word of flattery, as you know, nor in a pretext of covetousness, God is our witness;

2:6  nor seeking glory from men, nor from you, nor from others, being able to be burdensome, as the apostles of Christ;

2:7  but we were gentle in the midst of you, as if a nurse may cherish her children;

2:8  being so desirous of you, that we are anxious not only to give the gospel of God, but our own souls, because you are beloved unto us.

2:9  For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil: night and day working, that we should burden no one of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

2:10  You are witnesses, and God, how sacredly and righteously and blamelessly we were unto you who believed:

2:11  as you know, exhorting each one of you, as a father of his own children, and comforting you,

2:12  and testifying, that you walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

2:13  And on account of this we also give thanks to God incessantly, because, receiving the word of God from us by hearing, you received it not as the word of men, but, as it truly is, the word of God, who indeed works in you who believe.

2:14  For ye, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Jesus Christ: because you suffered the same things from your fellow tribes, as they also from the Jews;

2:15  who even killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us, and are displeasing to God, and hostile to all men;

2:16  forbidding that we should speak to the Gentiles in order that they may be saved; that they may fill up their sins always: but the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

2:17  But, brethren, we having been absent from you for the space of an hour, in presence, not in heart, we were the more exceedingly anxious to see your face with much desire.

2:18  Because we wish to come to you, I Paul indeed both once and twice; and Satan hindered me.

2:19  For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing, except you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

2:20  For you are our glory and joy.

Chapter 3

3:1  Therefore no longer containing, we delighted to be left alone at Athens;

3:2  and we sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God in the gospel of Christ, in order to establish you, and exhort you concerning your faith;

3:3  that no one should be shaken in these tribulations. For you know that for this we are appointed.

3:4  For indeed, when we were with you, we foretold you that we are about to suffer tribulation; as indeed took place, and you know it.

3:5  Therefore I indeed, no longer containing, sent that I might know your faith, lest perhaps the tempter tempted you, and our labor may be in vain.

3:6  But Timothy, having already come to us from you, and proclaimed to us the good news of your faith and your divine love, and that you always have a good mention of us, longing to see us, as we do to see you;

3:7  therefore we were comforted, brethren, over you in all our distress and tribulation on account of your faith;

3:8  because we now live, if you stand in the Lord.

3:9  For what thanks are we able to render unto God in your behalf, for all the joy with which we rejoice on account of you before our God;

3:10  night and day praying incessantly that we may see your face, and perfect the deficiencies of your faith?

3:11  But God himself, even our Father, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you:

3:12  and the Lord fill you and cause you to superabound in divine love toward one another, and toward all, even as we also do towards you;

3:13  in order to establish your hearts blameless in holiness in the presence of God even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints: amen.

Chapter 4

4:1  Finally therefore, brethren, we pray you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how it behooves you to walk about and to please God, as you do indeed walk about, in order that you may abound more and more.

4:2  For you know what promises we gave unto you through our Lord Jesus.

4:3  For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication;

4:4  that each one of you know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,

4:5  not in the passion of lust, as indeed the Gentiles who do not know God;

4:6  that one should overreach and defraud his brother in a business transaction: because the Lord is the avenger concerning these things, as we indeed before told you and witnessed to you.

4:7  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.

4:8  Therefore the one rejecting (sanctification), does not reject man, but God, who indeed gives to you his Holy Spirit.

4:9  But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I write to you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another with divine love;

4:10  for you indeed are doing the same thing unto all the brethren in all Macedonia. And we exhort you, brethren, that you abound more and more;

4:11  and that you aspire to be quiet, and to prosecute your own employments, and work with your hands, as we proclaimed unto you;

4:12  in order that you may walk about circumspectly toward the aliens, and you may have need of nothing.

4:13  For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep; in order that you may not sorrow, even as those having no hope.

4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and is risen, so also will God bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.

4:15  For we speak this to you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left unto the coming of the Lord, can not anticipate those who are asleep,

4:16  because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

4:17  then we who are alive, who are left, will at the same time along with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be always with the Lord.

4:18  So comfort one another with these words.

Chapter 5

5:1  But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write to you;

5:2  for you yourselves know well, that the day of the Lord is so coming like a thief in the night.

5:3  When they may say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes on them, as travail upon a woman in gestation; and they can not escape.

5:4  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day may overtake you like a thief:

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

5:6  then therefore let us not sleep like the rest, but watch and be sober.

5:7  For those sleeping, sleep in the night; and those who are drunken, get drunk in the night:

5:8  but let us, who are of the day, be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and divine love; and the helmet, the hope of salvation:

5:9  because God did not put us forth unto wrath, but unto the obtainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

5:10  the one having died for us, in order that, whether we are awake or asleep, we shall at the same time live with him.

5:11  Therefore exhort one another, and edify either the other, as you indeed are doing.

5:12  But we intreat you, brethren, to know those who are laboring among you, and standing before you in the Lord, and admonishing you;

5:13  and that you yourselves esteem them exceedingly in divine love for the sake of their work. Live in peace among yourselves.

5:14  And we, exhort you, brethren, admonish the unruly, comfort the small-souled people, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.

5:15  See that no one may return evil for evil to any one; but always pursue good toward one another, and toward all.

5:16  Rejoice evermore;

5:17  pray without ceasing;

5:18  in every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus towards you.

5:19  Quench not the Spirit;

5:20  despise not prophesying;

5:21  but prove all things; and hold fast to the beautiful;

5:22  abstain from every evil sight.

5:23  And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless, in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5:24  Faithful is the one calling you, who indeed will do it.

5:25  Brethren, pray for us.

5:26  Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.

5:27  I adjure you in the name of the Lord, that this epistle shall be read to all the brethren.

5:28  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.