Greetings from Paul, Silas and Timothy
(2 Thessalonians 1:1-2; Philemon 1:1-3)
1Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; 3Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 4Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. 5For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 6And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: 7So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 9For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Greetings to the Thessalonians
(2 Thessalonians 1:1–4)
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 4 We know, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen, 5 and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to 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—Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Greetings to the Thessalonians
(2 Thessalonians 1:1–4)
1 Paul, Silvanus, a and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you. b
2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers 3 and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with great conviction—just as you know we lived among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord when you welcomed the message with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in spite of your great suffering.
7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For not only did the message of the Lord ring out from you to Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone out to every place, so that we have no need to say anything more. 9 For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
1 a That is, Silas
1 b BYZ and TR include from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ .
Greetings from Paul, Silas and Timothy
(2 Thessalonians 1:1-2; Philemon 1:1-3)
1Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, to the assembly of Thessalonians in God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!
2We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3unceasingly remembering of you the work of the faith, and the labour of the love, and the endurance of the hope, of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the presence of our God and Father, 4having known, brethren beloved, by God, your election, 5because our good news did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, even as ye have known of what sort we became among you because of you, 6and ye -- ye did become imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7so that ye became patterns to all those believing in Macedonia and Achaia, 8for from you hath sounded forth the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God did go forth, so that we have no need to say anything, 9for they themselves concerning us do declare what entrance we had unto you, and how ye did turn unto God from the idols, to serve a living and true God, 10and to wait for His Son from the heavens, whom He did raise out of the dead -- Jesus, who is rescuing us from the anger that is coming.
Greetings and Thanksgiving
¹ Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
² We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Gospel’s Power and Their Faith
⁴ For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that He has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
Footnotes:
1.“Work produced by faith” (verse 3) emphasizes that genuine faith in God is active and transformative. The Greek word ergon refers to deeds or actions that flow naturally from one’s faith in Jesus. Paul highlights the Thessalonians’ outward demonstration of faith through their actions.
2.“Labor prompted by love” (verse 3) underscores the idea that their hard work in the gospel was motivated by deep love, not obligation. The Greek term kopos refers to toil and effort that is exhausting, but willingly given for others because of love.
3.“Endurance inspired by hope” (verse 3) uses the Greek word hypomone, which conveys steadfast perseverance. The Thessalonians’ endurance was fueled by their confident expectation of Christ’s return and the eternal life He promised.
4.“Not simply with words” (verse 5) shows that the gospel message is more than mere rhetoric. The phrase emphasizes that the gospel came with dunamis—divine power—accompanied by the Holy Spirit, producing a lasting transformation in the hearers.
5.“Imitators” (verse 6) comes from the Greek word mimetes, which means to mimic or follow an example. The Thessalonians not only followed the teachings of Paul but also modeled their lives after Christ, even in times of suffering.
6.“Severe suffering” (verse 6) refers to the persecution the Thessalonians faced for their faith. Despite hardship, they received the gospel with joy—a joy that came not from their circumstances, but from the Holy Spirit.
7.“Rescues us from the coming wrath” (verse 10) points to the future judgment of God. The Greek term orgē for wrath indicates God’s righteous anger against sin, but believers in Christ are delivered from this through His sacrificial death and resurrection.
