¹ From Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ² Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

³ We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. ⁴ As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

⁵ This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering. ⁶ For it is right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. ⁸ With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, ¹⁰ when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed—and you did in fact believe our testimony. ¹¹ And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, ¹² that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

² Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. ³ Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. ⁴ He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God. ⁵ Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you. ⁶ And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way, ⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. ⁹ The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, ¹⁰ and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false. ¹² And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.

¹³ But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter. ¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

¹⁸ For the music director, by the Lord’s servant David, who sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul.

He said:

“I love you, Lord, my source of strength!

² The Lord is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer.

My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter,

my shield, the horn that saves me, and my refuge.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I was delivered from my enemies.

⁴ The waves of death engulfed me,

the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.

⁵ The ropes of Sheol tightened around me,

the snares of death trapped me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord;

I cried out to my God.

From his heavenly temple he heard my voice;

he listened to my cry for help.

⁷ The earth heaved and shook.

The roots of the mountains trembled;

they heaved because he was angry.

⁸ Smoke ascended from his nose;

fire devoured as it came from his mouth.

He hurled down fiery coals.

⁹ He made the sky sink as he descended;

a thick cloud was under his feet.

¹⁰ He mounted a winged angel and flew;

he glided on the wings of the wind.

¹¹ He shrouded himself in darkness,

in thick rain clouds.

¹² From the brightness in front of him came

hail and fiery coals.

¹³ The Lord thundered in the sky;

the Most High shouted.

¹⁴ He shot his arrows and scattered them,

many lightning bolts and routed them.

¹⁵ The depths of the sea were exposed;

the inner regions of the world were uncovered

by your battle cry, Lord,

by the powerful breath from your nose.

¹⁶ He reached down from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water.

¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hate me,

for they were too strong for me.

¹⁸ They confronted me in my day of calamity,

but the Lord helped me.

¹⁹ He brought me out into a wide open place;

he delivered me because he was pleased with me.

²⁰ The Lord repaid me for my godly deeds;

he rewarded my blameless behavior.

²¹ For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands;

I have not rebelled against my God.

²² For I am aware of all his regulations,

and I do not reject his rules.

²³ I was innocent before him,

and kept myself from sinning.

²⁴ The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds;

he took notice of my blameless behavior.

²⁵ You prove to be loyal to one who is faithful;

you prove to be trustworthy to one who is innocent.

²⁶ You prove to be reliable to one who is blameless,

but you prove to be deceptive to one who is perverse.

²⁷ For you deliver oppressed people,

but you bring down those who have a proud look.

²⁸ Indeed, you light my lamp, Lord.

My God illuminates the darkness around me.

²⁹ Indeed, with your help I can charge against an army;

by my God’s power I can jump over a wall.

³⁰ The one true God acts in a faithful manner;

the Lord’s promise is reliable.

He is a shield to all who take shelter in him.

³¹ Indeed, who is God besides the Lord?

Who is a protector besides our God?

³² The one true God gives me strength;

he removes the obstacles in my way.

³³ He gives me the agility of a deer;

he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.

³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;

my arms can bend even the strongest bow.

³⁵ You give me your protective shield;

your right hand supports me.

Your willingness to help enables me to prevail.

³⁶ You widen my path;

my feet do not slip.

³⁷ I chase my enemies and catch them;

I do not turn back until I wipe them out.

³⁸ I beat them to death;

they fall at my feet.

³⁹ You give me strength for battle;

you make my foes kneel before me.

⁴⁰ You make my enemies retreat;

I destroy those who hate me.

⁴¹ They cry out, but there is no one to help them;

they cry out to the Lord, but he does not answer them.

⁴² I grind them as fine windblown dust;

I beat them underfoot like clay in the streets.

⁴³ You rescue me from a hostile army.

You make me a leader of nations;

people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects.

⁴⁴ When they hear of my exploits, they submit to me.

Foreigners are powerless before me.

⁴⁵ Foreigners lose their courage;

they shake with fear as they leave their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord is alive!

My Protector is praiseworthy.

The God who delivers me is exalted as king.

⁴⁷ The one true God completely vindicates me;

he makes nations submit to me.

⁴⁸ He delivers me from my enemies.

You snatch me away from those who attack me;

you rescue me from violent men.

⁴⁹ So I will give you thanks before the nations, O Lord.

I will sing praises to you.

⁵⁰ He gives his king magnificent victories;

he is faithful to his chosen ruler,

to David and his descendants forever.”