1 1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy are with me. We(exc) are sending this letter to you who are the congregation of believers in Thessalonica city. We (inc) all worship (OR, trust in) God our Father [MET] and our Lord Jesus Christ. We three desire/pray that God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, will continue to act kindly toward you and will continue to cause you to have inner peace.
2 We always thank God for you all when we mention you while we pray (OR, when we pray for you). 3 We thank God because we continually remember that you work for God because you trust in him and you earnestly/energetically help people because you love them. You also endure it when people cause you to suffer. You endure it because you confidently expect that our Lord Jesus Christ will soon return from heaven to rescue you! 4 My fellow believers whom God loves, we also thank him because we know that he chose you to become his people. 5 We know that he chose you because when we told that message to you, we did not speak only words. The Holy Spirit helped us to speak powerfully/effectively, and he strongly assured us that he was powerfully working in you by means of the message about Christ that we told to you. You yourselves know that, because you know how we spoke and how we conducted ourselves when we were with you, in order that we might help you. 6 We also know that God chose you because we have now heard that you have endured your troubles when people caused you to suffer very much because you believed in Christ. You endured just like the Lord Jesus Christ endured, and just like we did when people caused us to suffer. At that time you were joyful because the Holy Spirit caused you to be joyful. 7 As a result of your joyfully enduring your troubles, all the believers who live in Macedonia and Achaia provinces have heard how firmly you trust God. So they know that they should firmly trust in God as you do. 8 Other people have heard you tell the message from the Lord Jesus. Then they also have proclaimed the message to people who live throughout Macedonia and Achaia provinces. Not only that, but people who live in many far-away places [HYP] have heard that you trust in God. As a result, we do not need to tell people what God has done in your lives. 9 People who live far from you are telling others what happened when we were with you. They also report that you stopped worshipping things that ◄you/your ancestors► considered to be gods and now you worship God. As a result, you serve the God who is all-powerful and who is the real God. 10 They tell us that now you wait expectantly for his Son to return to earth from heaven. You firmly believe that God caused him to live again after he died. You believe also that Jesus will rescue all of us, who trust in him, from God’s punishing us [MTY].
2 1 My fellow believers, you know that our time with you was very worthwhile/effective [LIT]. 2 Although people in Philippi city previously mistreated us (exc) and insulted us, as you know, our God caused us to be courageous. As a result, we told you the good message that originates/comes from God, even though some people in your city also strongly ◄opposed us/tried to prevent us from telling God’s message►. 3 When we exhorted/urged (OR, tried to convince) you to obey God’s message, we did not tell you an untrue message. Instead, we told you a true message. We do not want to get something for ourselves by immoral means. We do not try to deceive you or other people. 4 On the contrary, we tell God’s message because he trusted us to do that, because he examined us and considered us to be acceptable to tell people the message about Christ. As we teach people, we do not say what they like to hear. Instead, we say what God wants us to say, because he examines everything that we think and what we desire. 5 We never ◄flattered you/said nice things about you insincerely►, as you know. We were never greedy, so we never needed to use words to ◄hide greediness from you/cause you to think that we were not greedy►. God knows that this is true! 6 We never tried to get people to honor us, 7 although we could have demanded that you should honor/respect us, because we are apostles who represent (OR, speak for) Christ. On the contrary, we were gentle when we were among you, as a mother gently takes care of her own children [SIM]. 8 So, because we love you, we were delighted to personally tell you the good message that God gave us. But also we were delighted to lovingly do all that we could do to help you [SYN] because ◄you had become very dear to us/we had begun to love you very much►. 9 My fellow believers, you remember that we worked very hard [DOU] in order to ◄support ourselves/earn money to buy what we needed► while we were with you. We worked during the day and also at night in order that we would not have to ask any one of you to give us what we needed, while we proclaimed to you the good message that God gave us. 10 You know that it is true, and God knows that it is true, that we conducted our lives in a very pure, right, and faultless [DOU] manner toward you believers. 11 You know also that we lovingly behaved/acted toward each one of you, just like a father lovingly behaves/acts toward his own children [SIM]. 12 Specifically, we kept strongly exhorting/urging and encouraging you that you conduct your lives in the way that God’s people should, because he has invited you to become his people over whom he will rule in a wonderful way [HEN].
13 We also continually thank God because when you heard the message that we told to you, you accepted it as the true message, the good message that God gave to us. We did not invent it. We also thank God that he is changing your lives because you trust this message [PRS]. 14 My fellow believers, we know that you sincerely believed the message from God, because the manner in which you acted was just like the manner in which the congregations in Judea acted. They also worship God, and they ◄have a close relationship with/are united to► Christ Jesus. Specifically, you endured it when your own countrymen mistreated you because you believe the message from God, in the same manner that those Jewish believers in Judea endured it when the Jews who do not believe in Christ mistreated them. 15 Unbelieving Jews are the ones whom God considers guilty for killing the Lord Jesus, as well as for killing many prophets. Other unbelieving Jews forced us to leave many towns. They really make God angry; and they are opposed to what is best for all human beings! 16 Specifically, when we tell the good message to non-Jewish people in order that they can be saved {that God will save them} spiritually, these unbelieving Jews try to stop/prevent us from doing that. Because they continually sin more and more, they are almost reaching the limit that has been set by God [MET]! God will soon punish them [MTY], at last, for all their sins!
17 My fellow believers, when for a short time [IDM] those people forced us to be separated from you, we felt like parents ◄who had lost all their children/whose children had died► [MET]. Although we were far away from you, we were still emotionally concerned about you, and we strongly desired to be present with you. 18 You can know that we wanted to return to you. Indeed I, Paul, tried to return twice [IDM]. But we did not return because each time Satan prevented us from returning. 19 We were strongly desiring to be with you, because truly you [RHQ] are the ones about whom we are proud and joyful! It is because we are confident that you will ◄remain faithful/continue believing in God► that we will be joyful! You are the ones who we confidently expect will keep strongly trusting in God! It is because you will ◄remain faithful/continue believing in God► that we will be proud of the work that we have done [MET, RHQ] when our Lord Jesus examines what we all have done, at the time when he comes back to earth! 20 Indeed, it is because of you that even now we are pleased and joyful!
3 1 As a result of that, when I could no longer endure worrying about you, I decided that Silas and I would stay behind alone in Athens city, 2 and we two sent Timothy to you. You know that he is our close associate and also works for God by proclaiming the message about Christ. Silas and I sent him in order that he would urge you to continue to strongly trust in Christ. 3 We wanted none of you to consider turning away from Christ as a result of people causing you to suffer. You know that God has planned that we who trust in him will suffer like that when people do that to us who trust in him. 4 Remember that when we were present with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted {that people would cause us to suffer}. And because that is what happened, you know that what we said was true! 5 I was afraid that Satan, the one who tempts us, had caused you to stop trusting in Christ. If that had happened, we would have worked uselessly while we were present with you! So I sent Timothy to you in order to find out whether or not you were still trusting in Christ. I sent him because I could no longer endure not knowing ◄about your spiritual condition/whether or not you were still trusting in Christ►.
6 Now Timothy has just returned to Silas and me from being with you, and he has told us the good news that you still trust in Christ and that you love him (OR, each other). He told us also that you always happily remember us and that you strongly desire that we visit you, just like we strongly desire to visit you. 7 My fellow believers, even though we are suffering very much [DOU] because of what people are doing to us here, we have been cheered up because Timothy told us about your still trusting in Christ. 8 Now we feel very encouraged [IDM] that you continue to strongly trust in the Lord Jesus. 9 ◄We cannot thank God adequately for what he has done for you!/How can we thank God enough for what he has done for you?► [RHQ] We greatly rejoice concerning you when we pray to our God! 10 We constantly [HYP] and fervently/earnestly ask God that we will be able to visit you [SYN] and that we will be able to help you to trust in Christ/God more strongly!
11 We pray to God, our Father, and to our Lord Jesus, that they will ◄clear the way/make it possible► so that we can return to you. 12 As for you, we pray that the Lord Jesus will help you to love each other and other people more and more, just like we continue loving you more and more. 13 We pray that our Lord Jesus will strengthen your resolve to do what pleases God (OR, strengthen you spiritually). We pray that God our Father will enable you to conduct your lives in a way that is pure and that no one can justly criticize, so that when Jesus comes back to earth accompanied by all those who belong to him, he will be pleased with you.
4 1-2 Now, my fellow believers, I want to write about some other matters. Because we all have a close relationship with the Lord Jesus, we(exc) strongly urge you [DOU] to live in a way that pleases God. We taught you to do that, and you know that we lived that way as a result of what the Lord Jesus told us. We know that you are conducting your lives that way, but we strongly urge that you do that even more.
3 God wants you to live pure lives that will show that you completely belong to him. He wants you to avoid doing any sexually immoral acts (OR, avoid being sexually immoral in any way). 4 That is, he wants each one of you to know how to control your own sexual desires [EUP]. He wants you to live pure lives that all people will see as good. 5 You must not lustfully desire to do immoral acts as unbelievers [MTY] do who do not obey God. 6 God wants each one of you to control your sexual desires, in order that no one of you sin against your fellow believer and take advantage of him or her by doing things like that. Remember that we strongly warned you previously [DOU] that the Lord Jesus will punish all people who do sexually immoral acts. 7 When God chose us believers, he did not want us to be people who behave in a sexually immoral way. On the contrary, he wants us to be people who behave in a morally pure way. 8 So I warn you that those who disregard this teaching of mine are not just disregarding me. On the contrary, they are disregarding God, because God commanded it. Remember that God sent his Spirit, who is holy, to live in you!
9 I want to urge you again that you should love your fellow believers [MET]. You do not really need that anyone write to you about that, because God has already taught you how to love each other, 10 and because you already are showing that you love your fellow believers [HYP] who live in other places in your province of Macedonia. Nevertheless, my fellow believers, we urge you to love each other even more. 11 We urge you also to eagerly strive/try to mind your own affairs and to not meddle/interfere with the affairs of others. We urge you also to work at your own occupations/jobs to earn what you need to live. Remember that we taught you previously to live like that. 12 If you do these things, unbelievers will acknowledge/see that you behave decently/properly, and you will not have to depend on others to ◄supply/give to you► what you need.
13 My fellow believers, we also want you to understand well [LIT] what will happen to our fellow believers who now are dead [EUP]. You must not be/do like the unbelievers. They grieve deeply for people who die because they do not confidently expect people to live again after they die. 14 We believers know that it is true that Jesus died and that he came back to life again. So we also know well that when Jesus returns, God will cause those believers who died [EUP] to live again and to come with Jesus. 15 I write this because the Lord Jesus revealed to me what I am now telling you. Some of you may think that when the Lord Jesus comes back, he will consider that we believers who are still living will be superior to those believers who have died [EUP], because we will meet Jesus first. That is certainly not true! 16 It is the Lord Jesus himself who will descend from heaven. When he comes down, he will command all of us believers to rise from their graves. The chief angel will shout loudly, and another angel will blow a trumpet for God. Then (OR, As a result), the first thing that will happen is that the people who trusted in Christ before they died will live again. 17 After that, God will powerfully take up into the clouds all of us believers who are still living on this earth. He will take us and those other believers who have died, in order that we all might together meet/welcome the Lord Jesus in the sky. As a result of that, we all will be with him forever. 18 Because all this is true, encourage/comfort each other by reminding each other of this teaching.
5 1 My fellow believers, I want to tell you more about the time or period when the Lord Jesus will come back. Really, you do not need me to you about that, 2 because you yourselves know accurately what will happen! You know that the Lord Jesus will return [MTY] unexpectedly (OR, when some people are unprepared). People will not expect him, just like no one knows when a thief comes unexpectedly at night [SIM]. 3 At a future time many people will say, “All is peaceful and we are safe!” Then suddenly the Lord Jesus will come to punish people severely! Just like a pregnant woman who experiences birth pains cannot stop those pains, those people will definitely not have any way to escape their punishment. 4-5 Just like people in the dark are unaware of what is happening around them, most people will not be aware of what is about to happen to them [MET, PRS]. Just like a thief comes unexpectedly for people who are unaware, that time of punishment will come when people are not expecting it [SIM]. But you, my fellow believers, are people who are very much aware [LIT] of what is going to happen. As a result, you will be expecting [LIT] those things [MTY] to happen [PRS]. All of us believers are people [IDM] who do what is right, as people usually do in the daytime [MET] when their actions can be seen. We are not people who do evil things, as some people do when it is dark [MET]. 6 So we believers must be aware of what is happening. We must be watching carefully, as people who are awake watch for a thief [MET]. We must be self-controlled, as people who are ◄sober/not drunk► are able to control what they do [MET]. People who sleep [MET] are unaware of what is happening, and unbelievers are like that. 7 It is at night when people become drunk and they do very wrong actions/things, and are unaware of what is happening because they are asleep. 8 But we believers are people who should do what is right [MET], so we must be self-controlled, as people in the daytime are usually not drunk and are able to control what they do [MET]. As Roman soldiers protect themselves by putting on breastplates and helmets [MET], we believers must protect ourselves by continuing to trust and love the Lord Jesus and by continuing to confidently expect that he will save us from God’s punishing us at the time when he will punish other people.
9 When God chose us, he did not plan for us to be people whom he will severely punish [MTY]. On the contrary, he decided that he would save us because of our trusting in what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. 10 Jesus died to atone/pay for our sins in order that we might be able to live together with him, whether we are alive [MET] or whether we are dead [EUP] when he returns to earth. 11 Because you know that this is true, continue to encourage/comfort each other, as indeed you now are doing.
12 My fellow believers, we three ask that you recognize/honor as leaders those people who work hard for you. Specifically, respect those who lead you as fellow believers who ◄have a close relationship with/are united to► the Lord Jesus. They warn you to stop doing what is wrong (OR, they teach you to do what is right). 13 That is, we ask that you consider those leaders to be very important and that you love them, because they work hard to help you. We also urge you to live peacefully with each other.
14 My fellow believers, we urge that you warn believers who will not work in order to ◄obtain/earn the money to buy► things that they need to live. Tell them that they are behaving wrongly. We urge you that you encourage believers who are fearful (OR, discouraged), and that you help all people who are weak in any way. We also urge you to be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that none of you does evil things to anyone who has done evil to you. On the contrary, you must always try to do good things for each other (OR, to fellow believers) and to everyone else.
16 Be joyful ◄at all times/always►, 17 pray continually, 18 and thank God ◄in all circumstances/regardless of what happens►. God wants you to behave like that because of what Christ Jesus has done for you (OR, because you have a close relationship with Christ Jesus).
19 Do not refuse the urging from God’s Spirit when he is working [MTY] among you. That would be like throwing water on a fire [MET]! 20 Specifically, do not despise messages that the Holy Spirit reveals to someone, and reject them automatically. 21 On the contrary, evaluate all such messages. Accept the messages that are truly from God, and obey them. 22 Do not obey any kind of evil message.
23 We pray to God that he will change you to become more and more like his people should be. He is the one who causes his people to have inner peace. That is, we pray that he will help you so that in all that you think, in all that you desire, and in all that you do, you will be without fault. We ask him that he will keep doing that until our Lord Jesus Christ comes back to earth. 24 Because God has invited you to be his people, you can certainly trust him to keep on helping you to do that.
25 My fellow believers, pray for me and for Silas and for Timothy. 26 When you gather together as believers, greet each other affectionately, as fellow believers should. 27 Make certain that you read this letter to all the believers who may be absent when you read it at first, knowing that the Lord Jesus wants you to do it. 28 I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to act kindly toward you all.