1 Thessalonians 2

Paul Remembers His Visit

1You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters,#2:1 Greek brothers; also in 2:9, 14, 17. that our visit to you was not a failure. 2You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 3So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.

4For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. 5Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money! 6As for human praise, we have never sought it from you or anyone else.

7As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children#2:7 Some manuscripts read we were gentle. among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. 8We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.

9Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. 10You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

13Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

14And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God’s churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. 15For some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity 16as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.

Timothy’s Good Report about the Church

17Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. 18We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. 19After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 20Yes, you are our pride and joy.

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1 Thessalonians 2: NLT

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1 Thessalonians 2

Paul’s Ministry to the Thessalonians

1For you yourselves know, brothers,#2:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 14, 17 that our #ch. 1:9coming to you #[2 Thess. 1:10]was not in vain. 2But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated #Acts 16:22-24at Philippi, as you know, #See Acts 4:13we had boldness in our God #Acts 17:2-9to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much #Phil. 1:30conflict. 3For #[2 Cor. 2:17] our appeal does not spring from #2 Thess. 2:11error or #ch. 4:7impurity or #2 Cor. 4:2any attempt to deceive, 4but just as we have been approved by God #See Gal. 2:7to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not #See Gal. 1:10to please man, but to please God #Ps. 17:3; See Rom. 8:27who tests our hearts. 5#See Acts 20:33For we never came with words of flattery,#2:5 Or with a flattering speech as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—#ver. 10; See Rom. 1:9God is witness. 6#[2 Cor. 4:5]; See John 5:41Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, #1 Cor. 9:4; 2 Thess. 3:9; [Philem. 8, 9] though we could have made #[ver. 9; 2 Cor. 11:9] demands as #See 1 Cor. 9:1apostles of Christ. 7But we were #2 Tim. 2:24; [1 Cor. 14:20] gentle#2:7 Some manuscripts infants among you, #[ver. 11; Isa. 49:23; 60:16]like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God #See 2 Cor. 12:15but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

9For you remember, brothers, #2 Thess. 3:8; [Phil. 4:16] our labor and toil: we #See Acts 18:3worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and #ver. 5God also, #See ch. 1:5how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11For you know how, #[ver. 7]; See 1 Cor. 4:14like a father with his children, 12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and #Eph. 4:17charged #See Eph. 4:1you to walk in a manner worthy of God, #ch. 5:24; 2 Thess. 2:14; 1 Pet. 5:10; See Rom. 8:28who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

13And #See ch. 1:2, 3we also thank God constantly#2:13 Or without ceasing for this, that when you received #[Rom. 10:17] the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it #[Gal. 4:14]; See Matt. 10:20not as the word of men#2:13 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women but as what it really is, the word of God, #Heb. 4:12which is at work in you believers. 14For you, brothers, #See ch. 1:6became imitators of #See 1 Cor. 7:17the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For #ch. 3:4; Acts 17:5; 2 Thess. 1:4, 5you suffered the same things from your own countrymen #[Heb. 10:33, 34]as they did from the Jews,#2:14 The Greek word Ioudaioi can refer to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time 15#See Luke 24:20who killed both the Lord Jesus and #Jer. 2:30; Matt. 23:29-34; See Matt. 5:12the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and #[Esth. 3:8]oppose all mankind 16#Acts 13:45, 50; 14:2, 19; 17:5, 13; 18:12; 22:21, 22by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always #See Gen. 15:16to fill up the measure of their sins. But #See ch. 1:10wrath has come upon them at last!#2:16 Or completely, or forever

Paul’s Longing to See Them Again

17But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, #1 Cor. 5:3; Col. 2:5in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire #ch. 3:10to see you face to face, 18because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan #Rom. 15:22; [Rom. 1:13]hindered us. 19For what is our hope or #See Phil. 4:1joy or crown of boasting #1 Cor. 15:31; [2 Thess. 1:4]; See 2 Cor. 1:14before our Lord Jesus at his #ch. 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; Matt. 24:3; 1 Cor. 15:23; 2 Thess. 2:1, 8; James 5:7, 8; 2 Pet. 1:16; 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28coming? Is it not you? 20For you are our glory and joy.

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