us, even as we are longing to see you,-in consequence of this, brethren, we are encouraged over you, in all our hardships and afflictions, on account of your faith; for now we live, if ye are stedfast in the Lord. For what thanksgiving can we render to God concerning you, in return for all the joy with which we are rejoicing on your account in the presence of our God, praying night and day with exceeding earnestness that we may see your face, and may supply the deficiencies of your faith?

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, give us a straight path to you. And may the Lord make you to increase and overflow with love to one another and to all, even as we indeed do toward you: in order that he may establish your hearts faultless in holiness in the presence of our God and Father at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his holy ones.

b

FURTHERMORE, brethren, we entreat you, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received from us how ye ought to conduct yourselves and to please God, even as ye are doing, that ye make progress still more; for ye know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, even your entire holiness: that ye keep yourselves from unchastity: that ye see to it that each one of you be master of his own body in sanctity and honor, not with passion of unlawful desire, (like the nations who do not know God,) so as not to trespass, and defraud his brother in this matter; for the Lord is an avenger concerning all such things, as we have told you before and adjured you. For God hath not called us for impurity, but to be in sanctity. Wherefore, then, he that spurneth, spurneth not a man, but God, who giveth to you his spirit, which is holy.

Now concerning brotherly love, ye have no need that any one should write to you, for ye are taught of God to love one another; and indeed ye do this toward all the brethren in all Macedonia. (iii. 7-iv. 10.)

b Gr.,

Or, fidelity.

walk.

c Or, Spirit.

But we entreat you, brethren, that ye increase more and more, and that ye earnestly endeavor to lead a quiet life, and to attend to your own affairs, and to labor with your hands, as we charged you, that ye may conduct yourselves b becomingly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

с

Now we wish you not to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who fall asleep, so that ye may not mourn, as do the others who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also do we believe that God will, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we say to you in the word of the Lord, that we who are living and survive until the appearing of the Lord, shall by no means have an advantage over those who have fallen asleep. Because the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a loud summons, with the Archangel's call, even with a trumpet of God; d and the dead in Christ will first arise; then we who are then living shall at the same time with them be caught up in clouds into the air, to meet the Lord; and so we shall be continually with the Lord. So then, encourage one another with these words.

BUT concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that anything be written to you. For ye yourselves know certainly, that the day of the Lord is coming in the same manner as a robber in the night. When they may be saying, "Peace and safety," then unexpected destruction will come suddenly upon them, as the birth-pang upon a woman with child; and they will by no means

escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, so that that day should surprise you as a robber; for ye are all sons of light and sons of day. We do not belong to night nor to darkness: so then let us not be sleeping, as the others; but let us be awake, and keep sober. For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who become (iv. 11-v. 7.)

drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us, since we belong to the day, keep sober, having put on a breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation: for God hath not appointed us for indulgence of appetite, but, on the contrary, to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died on our behalf, in order that, whether we be awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Wherefore encourage one another, and build up one another, even as indeed ye are doing.

Now we entreat you, brethren, to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to give them a very high place in your love for the sake of their work; and be in harmony among yourselves.

And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, sustain the weak, be forbearing toward all. See to it that no one return evil for evil to any, but always pursue what is good toward one another and toward all.

Always be joyful: pray constantly: in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in regard to you.

Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Test all things: hold fast what is good. Keep yourselves from every form of evil.

And may the God of peace himself make you completely holy; and may your entire spirit and soul and body be kept so as to be blameless at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you; and he will perform this.

BRETHREN, pray for us.

Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.

I adjure you by the Lord, that this letter be read to all the brethren.

The loving-favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

NOTE.-Probably written from Corinth, about A.D. 52.

(v. 8-28.)

Or, passion: Gr., orgee, intense feeling of any kind.

SECOND LETTER OF PAUL

TO THE

THESSALONIANS

PAUL

a

AUL, and Silvanus, and Timothy, to the congregation of Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Joy " to you, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ.

WE ought to be continually giving thanks to God concerning you, brethren, even as it is becoming, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love of every one of you all toward each other is increasing; so that we ourselves are boasting of you among the congregations of God, on account of your fortitude and faithfulness in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye are enduring which is an indication of the righteous judgment of God that ye will be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, on behalf of which ye are suffering: for it is indeed a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted, in company with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power, inflicting punishment with flaming fire upon those who do not know God and do not hearken to the Good-tidings of our Lord Jesus: men who shall suffer the sentence of eternal destruction away from the presence of (i. 1-9.)

the Lord and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall come in that day, to be glorified in his saints, and to have his wonders displayed in all who have believed; because our testimony to you was believed.

To this end we also pray continually for you, that our God will account you worthy of your having been called, and will perfect every desire of goodness and product of faith, with power; so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, in accordance with the loving-favor of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we entreat you, brethren, concerning the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to him, not to be quickly shaken out of your wits nor be disturbed, either by breath or by word or by letter as from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord hath already been." Let no one deceive you as to any manner; because it will not be until the Apostasy shall have previously come, and the Man of Lawlessness be revealed - the Son of Destruction, who opposeth and exalteth himself against every one that is called God or is an object of worship, so far as to seat himself in the sanctuary of God, declaring that he himself is a god.

с

Do ye not remember, that while I was with you I told you these things? And now ye know what restraineth until he shall be revealed at his own time. For the mystery is already actively at work the mystery of lawlessness: only there is one that is now restraining until he shall go out of the way; and then the Lawless One will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall consume by the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the splendor of his presence: - even he whose appearing is according to the powerful working of Satan, with all the might and prodigies and wonders of falsehood, and with all the deceptiveness of iniquity toward those who are perishing; in consequence of which they have not received the love of the truth for their salvation. And for this reason God will send (i. 10-ii. 11.)

"Or, is just at hand.

b

Or, is God.

с

eOr. take away.