Greetings to the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 1:1–4)
1 UDB I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy are with me. We are sending this letter to you who are the group of believers in the city of Thessalonica who are joined to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God be kind to you and give you peace. BSB BSB: Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 UDB We always thank God for you all when we mention you while we pray. BSB BSB: We always thank God for all of you, remembering you in our prayers
3 UDB We continually remember that you work for God, who is our Father, because you trust in him and you earnestly help people because you love them. You have a solid confidence in the future because you know our Lord Jesus Christ! BSB BSB: 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 UDB My fellow believers whom God loves, we also thank him because we know that he chose you to become his people. BSB BSB: Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you,
5 UDB We know that he chose you because when we told the good news to you, it was much more than words only. The Holy Spirit powerfully worked among you, and he strongly assured us that our message to you was true. In the same way, you know how we spoke and how we conducted ourselves when we were with you so that we might help you. BSB BSB: 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 UDB We have now heard that you are living like we live and are following our example. But, more importantly, you are also living like our Lord lived. You received the message of God's love with great joy that only comes from the Holy Spirit, even though you had to go through many trials and difficulties. BSB BSB: 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 UDB All the believers who are in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia are learning how they should trust God just like you have learned and as you are trusting him. BSB BSB: As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
8 UDB Other people have heard you tell the message from the Lord Jesus. Then they also proclaimed the good news to people who live throughout Macedonia and Achaia. Not only that, but people who live in many faraway places have heard that you trust in God. So we do not need to tell people what God has done in your lives. BSB BSB: 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 UDB People who live far from you are telling others how warmly you welcomed us when we came to you. They also report that you stopped worshiping false gods and that now you worship and serve the God who alone is the living God, the real and only God. BSB BSB: 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 UDB They also tell us that you are waiting expectantly for his Son to return to earth from heaven. It was God who raised up his Son from the dead; and the Son of God is the one who rescues us from the anger of God that is coming. BSB BSB: and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.