ministry that thou hast undertaken in the Lord, that

thou fulfil it.'

The greeting of Paul by mine own hand. my bonds. Grace be with you.

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The First Epistle of PAUL to the THESSALONIANS. PAUL and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We thank God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers without ceasing, remembering your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and Father; knowing, brethren beloved by God, your election. our Good Tidings came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in holy spirit, and in much assurance; as ye know what we became among you for your sake. And ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much trouble with joy of holy spirit; so that ye became patterns to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you hath been sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and in Achaia; but also in every place your faith towards God is gone forth; so that we have no need to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what an entrance we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from the idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his 10 Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who is delivering us from the coming wrath.

For, brethren, yourselves know our entrance unto you, that it was not in vain ; but when we had suffered before and been reviled, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the Good Tidings of God with much striving. For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile; but as we have been approved by God to be intrusted with the Good Tidings, even so we speak; not as seeking to please men, but God, who trieth our hearts. For we never used words of flattery, as ye know; nor a cloak of lasciviousness, God is witness; nor sought we glory of men, neither from you, nor from others; (when we might have

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329 7 been a burden, as apostles of Christ ;) but we were gentle 8 among you. As a nurse would cherish her children, so

we, longing after you, were willing to give you, not only the Good Tidings of God, but also our own lives, because 9 ye were dear to us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and toil; working night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you, we preached unto you the Good 10 Tidings of God. Ye are witnesses and God, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved to you that 11 believed; as ye know how we exhorted and comforted

each one of you, as a father doth his children, and 12 charged you to walk worthily of God, who calleth you 13 into his kingdom and glory. For this also we thank God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God by hearsay from us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as in truth it is, as the word of God, 14 who also worketh in you that believe. For ye became imitators, brethren, of the churches of God that are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for ye also suffered the same things from your own countrymen even as they did from 15 the Jews; who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us, and seek not to please God, 16 and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved; so as to fill up their sins always. But the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.

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But we, brethren, when taken away from you for an hour's space, in person not in heart, very earnestly en18 deavoured to see your face with great desire. Wherefore we wished to come unto you, (that is, I Paul did,) both once and also a second time, but Satan hindered 19 us. For what will be our hope, or joy, or crown of boasting, (will it not be ye?) before our Lord Jesus 20 Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and 1 joy. Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we 2 thought it good to be left at Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother, and fellow-labourer under God in the Good Tidings of Christ, to establish you, and to 3 encourage you about your faith, that no one should be shaken by these troubles; for yourselves know that unto 4 this we were appointed; for when we were with you, we foretold to you that we were to be troubled, even as it came to pass and ye know. For this cause myself

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also when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, whether the tempter have tempted you, and lest our labour should be in vain. And just now, when Timothy came to us from you, and brought us good tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring to see us, as we also do to see you; wherefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our trouble and distress, by your faith; for now we live, since ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we return to God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy because of you before our God; night and day praying exceedingly to see your 10 face, and to finish what is wanting of your faith? And may our God and Father himself and our Lord 11 Jesus Christ guide our way to you; and may the Lord 12 make you increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; unto the establishing your hearts unblameable in 13 holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

Lastly then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as ye received from us how ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound yet more. For ye know what commands we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your holiness; that ye abstain from fornication; that each of you know how to possess his vessel in holiness and honour, not in the passion of lust, as the Gentiles who know not God; that no one overreach and cheat his brother in this matter; for the Lord is the punisher for all these things, as we also forewarned you and bare witness. For God called us not to uncleanness, but in holiness. He therefore, that scorneth, scorneth not man, but God, who hath given his holy spirit unto us.

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And about brotherly love ye need not that I write to you; for ye yourselves are heaven-taught to love one another; for ye do it toward all the brethren in all 10 Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, to abound yet more; and to be ambitious to be quiet, and to do 11 your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; so that ye may walk becomingly 12 toward those without, and may have need of nothing.

And we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about 13

them that are gone to rest, so that ye grieve not, even as 14 the others who have no hope. For if we believe that

Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who rest in 15 Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we, who remain alive till the coming of the Lord, shall not get before those that 16 are at rest. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will 17 rise first; then we who remain alive shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; 18 and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no 2 need that I write to you; for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the 3 night. When men say; 'Peace and safety;' then sudden destruction cometh on them, as pangs on a woman with ▲ child; and they will not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, so that that day should overtake you as 5 a thief. For ye are all sons of light, and sons of day; we 6 are not of night nor of darkness. So then, let us not 7 sleep as the others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep by night; and they that be drunken, X are drunken by night; but let us, who are of day, be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to the earning of salvation 10 through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us; so that whether we wake or sleep we may live together with 11 him. Wherefore comfort one another, and build up each one the other, even as ye are doing.

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And we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and 13 admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brethren, warn the unruly, comfort

the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient towards 15 all. See that none return evil for evil to any one; but ever follow what is kind both one toward another, and 16 17 toward all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; 18 in every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in 19 20 Christ Jesus towards you; quench not the spirit; de

spise not prophesyings; and prove all things, hold to 21 what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

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may He, the God of peace, sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He 24 who calleth you,—and he will do it.

Brethren pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a 25 26 holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that the epistle be 27 read to all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord 28 Jesus Christ be with you.

The Second Epistle of PAUL to the THESSA

LONIANS.

PAUL and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the

Thessalonians in God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ; grace be to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

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We ought to thank God always for you, brethren, as is meet, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and troubles which ye endure; which is a token of the righteous judgment of God; so that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also ye suffer. Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay trouble to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, at the revealing of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with the angels of his power, in a flame of fire, bringing punishment on them that know not God, and that obey not the Good Tidings of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will suffer punishment, everlasting destruction from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he 10 shall come to be glorified among his saints, and to be admired among all the believers, (because our witness was believed among you,) in that day. For which also we pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and may fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith, with power; so that the 12 name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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