2 Thessalonians

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

1This letter is from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. They write to the church in Thessalonica, the group of people there who follow Jesus. That group belongs to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2We pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you. We pray they will give you peace.

3We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

3We should always thank God for you, brothers and sisters. It is the right thing to do. Your trust in God is growing more and more. And every one of you loves the others more and more.

NoteThe old word "charity" here means love, not giving money away. The old word "meet" means fitting or right.

4So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

4So we tell other churches good things about you. We tell how you keep going and keep trusting God. You keep trusting even when people hurt you and make life hard.

Note"We glory in you" means we speak proudly about you to other people.

5Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

5All of this shows clearly that God judges in the right way. So you will be counted as fit for God's kingdom. That kingdom is the reason you are suffering now.

6Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

6God does what is right. So he will pay back trouble to the people who give you trouble.

7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

7And he will give rest to you who are hurting, and to us too. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is shown to everyone. He will come from heaven with his strong angels.

8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

8He will come in burning fire. He will punish those who do not know God. He will punish those who will not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus Christ.

9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

9Their punishment will last forever. They will be kept away from the Lord and from his bright and mighty power.

10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

10That will happen on the day he comes. On that day his holy people will give him honor. All who trusted him will look at him with wonder. You are among them, because you believed what we told you.

Note"Admired" here means looked at with wonder, not simply liked.

11Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

11So we pray for you all the time. We ask God to count you as fit for the life he called you to. We ask him to use his power to finish every good thing you want to do. We ask him to finish every good work your faith begins.

12That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

12Then the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be honored because of you. And you will be honored because you belong to him. All of this comes from the kindness of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.