1st Thessalonians Un-shuffled
1. 1st Th. 1:1-3:13
2. 1st Th. 4:13-5:11
3. 1st Th. 4:1-12
4. 1st Th. 5:12-28.
1:1-10. 1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the assembly of Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you all, and peace, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 We are always giving thanks to God concerning all of you, causing ourselves to make mention of you all in the time of our prayers, 3 constantly calling to mind your work of faith, your toil of love and of patient endurance — of (your) confident expectation of our Lord Jesus Christ — in the presence of our God and Father, 4 absolutely knowing your election, brothers — having been faithfully loved, valued and cared for by God. 5 For our good news was not established among you all in word only, but also in power, and accompanied by the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance, as you all well know what we were among you all for your sakes. 6 And you all became imitators and followers of us, and of the Lord, having embraced the Word in much trying affliction with (the) joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so as that you all became patterns to all the believing in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has been sounded abroad with the present result that it is not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every (other) locality. Your faith toward God has gone forth with the present result that we consequently possess no requisite need to say anything, 9 for they themselves are declaring plainly concerning us, what sort of admission/reception we had gotten from you all, and how you all converted to God away from the idols, to serve a living and real God, 10 and to await his Son from out of the heavens, whom he raised up from among the dead — Jesus, the one rescuing and delivering us from the coming wrath, vengeance and indignation.
2:1-20. 1 For you yourselves surely know, brothers, that our access to you all had not become void of effect. 2 In fact, previously experiencing outrage, and being outraged in Philippi, as you all surely know, we dared in our God to speak to you all the good news of God during much strife. 3 For our call was not out of deceptive, fraudulent, deluded error, neither out of impurity, nor for contrived entrapment. 4 But inasmuch as we have been tested by God with the present result that we have been proven to be entrusted with the good news, in such a condition we are speaking, not as seeking favor with men, but (with) God — the One scrutinizing our hearts. 5 For neither at any time have we generated a language of flattery, as you all surely know, nor a specious cloak of extortion — God is a witness — 6 nor a striving after (the) recognition of men, neither from you all, nor from others — (that is) we, on the ground of being able to be a burden as apostles of Christ. 7 But we became gentle in your midst, as how a nurse would nurture her own children. 8 In this way, having a strong affection for you all, we are assenting to impart to you all not only the good news of God, but also our very selves, because you all had become dear to us. 9 For you, brothers, are all mindful of our toil and labor; for, working night and day so as not to burden any of you all, we openly proclaimed to you all the good news of God. 10 You all, and God, are witnesses how holily and righteously and un-blamably we were toward you all — the believing — 11 even as, in fact, each one of you all surely know that like as a father encouraging and exhorting and solemnly appealing to his own children, 12 (I asked) that you all maintain a walk in a manner becoming of God — the One summoning you all into his own kingdom and glory.
13 On account of this we are also regularly giving thanks to God; for, receiving to yourselves a word of instruction concerning God from us, you all embraced not a word of men, but according as it truly is, a word of God — which also is an active power working in you all — the believing. 14 For you all, brothers, were made imitators of the churches of God — of those existing in Judaea possessed by Christ Jesus. For even you all suffered the same at the hands of your own native countrymen, just as those (who) also (suffered) at the hands of the Jews — 15 those killing both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and persecuting us, and (being) unpleasing to God, and inimical to all human beings — 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles so as that they might be saved, in order to ever confirm their sin; but the indignation came upon them to the full.
17 Now we, brothers, having been bereaved over you all for the space of an hour — in personal presence, not in heart — with great desire earnestly endeavored more exceedingly to see your faces. 18 Therefore we intended to come to you all — indeed, I, Paul, time and again — but the Adversary cut in and held us back. 19 For what is our expectation or cause of rejoicing or crown of glory? Are not even you all before our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 20 For you all are our glory and joy.
3:1-13. 1 Therefore, no longer containing ourselves, we acquiesced to be left back at Athens alone, 2 and we dispatched Timothy, our brother and servant of God, and our fellow-laborer in the good news of Christ, in order that he might conceivably render you all steadfast, and that he might possibly encourage you all concerning your faith — 3 that no one be perturbed by these afflictive pressures; for you yourselves assuredly know that we are specially appointed to this. 4 For indeed, we were foretelling you all when we were with you that we are about to be afflictively pressed, even as it happened, and you all know for sure. 5 Because of this, and I, no longer containing myself, sent to know your faith, lest the one tempting in any way tempted you all, and the fruit of our labor were to come to nothing.
6 But just now, Timothy coming to us from you all, and announcing (the) good news of your faith and love, and that you are always holding a good remembrance of us, earnestly longing to see us, even as we also (are longing to see) you — 7 because of this, brothers, we were cheered and comforted with regard to you all through your faith in all of our afflictive pressure and distress; 8 for we are presently possessed of vitality whenever you all are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving are we able to repay God concerning you all for all the joy which we are rejoicing on account of you all in the presence of our God, 10 praying beyond measure for ourselves night and day in order to see your faces, and quite possibly supply what is lacking in your faith?
11 Now our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, may conceivably guide our way to you all aright. 12 And the Lord may possibly cause you all to increase and abound in self-sacrificial loving-care for one another, and for all, even as we also for you, 13 in order that he may potentially set fast your hearts without defect in holy sanctification before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
4:13-18. 13 Now we are not wanting you all to be uninformed, brothers, in the case of those having died, lest you should be grieving like the rest (of) those having no hope or (future) expectation. 14 For since we are believing/faithing that Jesus has died and arisen, so too God will bring and produce with him those experiencing death (while) in Jesus.
15 For we are declaring this to you all through (the) instrumental means of a statement, doctrine or teaching of (the) Lord, that we, the living — those surviving and remaining until the coming advent of the Lord — can by no means precede those experiencing death; 16 for the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with an arousing shout in a language of an archangel — also with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will themselves rise up first. 17 After that, we the living — those remaining and surviving — will be suddenly and irresistibly taken up (with) force together with them at the same time in clouds to meet the Lord in (the) atmosphere. And in such a state we will always be with (the) Lord. 18 Therefore, you all console and encourage one another with these words.
5:1-11. 1 Now brothers, you all are not possessing requisite need to be written concerning the times and the seasons; 2 For you yourselves know perfectly well, even precisely, that the Day of the Lord is coming as does a thief — in the night. 3 For when they can speak of peace and security, then at that time, sudden, unexpected and unforeseen destruction instantly comes upon them — just like a birth-pang upon the pregnant one — and they shall by no means avoid nor escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not possessed by darkness so that that day should suddenly take you all by surprise as a robber. 5 All of you all are sons of Light — even sons of Day. We are not of night — not even of darkness. 6 So, therefore, we should not spiritually sleep as even the rest do, but we should be spiritually awake; and we should be vigilant. 7 For those sleeping are sleeping at night, and those getting drunk are drunk at night. 8 But we being “day” should be circumspect, arraying ourselves with a two-piece breast-plate of full faith and self-sacrificial loving-care; and a helmet: a confident expectation of salvation and deliverance. 9 For God himself has not set us with a view toward wrath and indignation, but with a view toward acquisition of salvation and deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ — 10 the One dying in our stead/on our behalf so that whether we should live or we should die, we can live together with him. 11 Therefore, you all assist, comfort and encourage one another — even edify one another, just as you all are also doing.
4:1-12. 1 Now then, as for the rest, we are requesting you all — even exhorting you all in the presence of (the) Lord Jesus — that you all should grow more in the manner that you all received from us, how that it is a binding obligation (for) you all to be following, and to be pleasing, God. 2 For you all know perfectly well what directions and precepts we gave to you all while subject to the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God: the consecrated differentiation of you all: (that) you all abstain and distance yourselves from the (sins) of sexual immorality. 4 Surely each one of you has to know enough to be gaining the mastery over their own organ — (to be) used for moral purity and for honor 5 (and) not (to be) used for the sustaining of cupidity, even as (do) those Gentiles not knowing God — 6 not to aggrieve or wrong your own brother in this matter, inasmuch as the Lord inflicts punishment concerning all of these (types of sins), even as we told you all beforehand and solemnly affirmed. 7 For God has not called us with a view to unclean lewdness, but to moral purity. 8 Wherefore, the one rejecting (this admonishment) is not rejecting man, but God — even the One having distributed his Holy Spirit among you all.
9 Now concerning the love of the brotherhood: you all are possessing no need (for) a directive or command in writing; for you yourselves are taught by God, and divinely instructed to lovingly care for one another; 10 for, in fact, you alone are all practicing it toward all the brothers in the whole (of) Macedonia. But we are admonishing you all, brothers, to grow more, 11 and to earnestly endeavor to be quiet, and to live peaceably, and to occupy yourselves with your own (business), and to work (with) your hands in the way that we directed, charged and commanded you, 12 so that you all can maintain a decent walk toward those outside (of the faith), and may have need of nothing.
5:12-28. 12 Now we are requesting you all, brothers, to regard with favor those tirelessly laboring among you all, and themselves administrating over you in the Lord, and admonishing you all, 13 and to considerately regard them with superabundant love on account of their work. Cultivate peace among yourselves. 14 And we are (further) exhorting you all, brothers: warn the disorderly; console the despondent with gentle words; exercise zealous care of the weak, hesitant and dubious; exercise tolerance and patience toward all. 15 Countenance not any that might recompense evil in return for evil to anyone, but at all times earnestly endeavor to acquire good, for both one another, and for all.
16 You all rejoice always. 17 You all should practice offering prayer devotedly. 18 You all give thanks on every occasion, for God wills this for you all in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not dampen, quench, thwart or hinder the Spirit. 20 Do not disregard, neglect or treat sermons lightly, 21 but scrutinize (them) with discernment in all respects, (and) retain that possessing moral excellence. 22 Hold back yourselves, abstaining from every kind or type of evil and wickedness.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you all thoroughly, and may your entire body and soul and spirit be kept exceptionally safe until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The faithful One who calls will also perform.
25 Brothers, be offering prayer concerning us.
26 You all greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you all by the Lord to expound this epistle to all the dedicated, holy brothers.
28 The unmerited favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.