Chapter 1
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be to you.
2 We always give thanks to God concerning all of you, making mention in our prayers, 3 unceasingly remembering your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ before our God and Father, knowing, brothers who have been loved by God, your selection, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what sort we were among you because of you. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, welcoming the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became a pattern to all those who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord sounded from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith toward God has gone out in every place, so that we have no need to speak anything; 9 for they themselves relate concerning us what sort of entrance we had to you, and how you turned to God from the idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to await his Son from the heavens, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus the one who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Chapter 2
For you yourselves know, brothers, our entrance to you, that it has not been in vain, 2 but as you know that after having suffered and having been insulted in Philippi we were bold in our God to speak the gospel of God to you in much struggle. 3 For our exhortation is not of error nor of uncleanness nor in guile, 4 but as we have been approved  by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God the one who proves our hearts. 5 For we were then neither with word of flattery, as you know, nor with pretext of covetousness, God is witness, 6 nor seeking glory from men, neither from you nor from others, 7 being able to be as apostles of Christ with heaviness; but we were gentle in your midst, as if a nurse should cherish her children; 8 so longing for you we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own souls, because you became beloved to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil; how we worked night and day to not put a burden on anyone while we proclaimed the gospel of God to you. 10 You and God are witnesses, how holily and righteously and blamelessly we were to you who believe, 11 even as you know how we exhorted each one of you as a father his children and consoled 12 and witnessed that you should walk worthily of God the one who calls you to his kingdom and glory.
13 And therefore we also give thanks to God unceasingly, that having received the word of God which you heard from us you welcomed it not as a word of men but as it truly is a word of God, which also operates in you who believe. 14 For you became imitators, brothers, of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you also suffered the same things by your own fellow-tribesmen, as they also by the Jews, 15 those who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and chased us out, and do not please God, and are contrary to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the nations in order that they may be saved, so as to fill up their sins always. But the wrath has come on them until the end.
17 But we brothers, having been bereaved from you for an hour's time in face but not in heart, were more abundantly eager to see your face with much desire. 18 Wherefore we wished to come to you, indeed I Paul both once and twice and Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus -- is it not even you in his presence? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

Chapter 3
Wherefore no longer bearing up we were well pleased to be left in Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and fellow-worker of God in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to exhort you on behalf of your faith 3 that no one would be drawn aside by these afflictions. For you know yourselves that we are appointed to this; 4 for even when we were with you, we said to you before that we were about to be afflicted, as indeed it happened, and you know. 5 Therefore no longer bearing up I also sent to know of your faith, lest somehow the tempter tempted you and our labor became in vain. 6 But now, when Timothy came to us from you and announced goods news to us of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, longing to see us even as we also you, 7 therefore we were comforted, brothers, over you through your faith over all of our distress and affliction, 8 because now we live if you stand in the Lord. 9 For what thanks are we able to return to God concerning you, over all the joy with which we rejoice because of you before our God, night and day petitioning exceedingly to see your faces and to adjust the shortcomings of your faith? 11 Now may God our Father and our Lord Jesus himself direct our way to you; 12 and the Lord make you to abound and to exceed in love to one another and to all men, even as we also to you, 13 to establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father in the presence of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Chapter 4
Finally therefore, brothers, we ask and we beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you must walk to please God, as indeed you do walk, that you abound more. 2 For you know what injunctions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification, for you to abstain from fornication, each one of you to know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, even as the nations who do not know God, 6 to not go beyond and defraud his brother in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger concerning all these, as we indeed previously told you and solemnly witnessed. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness but in sanctification. 8 Wherefore the one who rejects this does not reject man but God, who indeed gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now you do not have need for me to write to you concerning brotherly love; for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed you do it toward all the brothers in all Macedonia.  But we exhort you, brothers, to abound more, 11 and to strive eagerly to be quiet and to practice your own things and to work with your hands, as we enjoined you, 12 in order that you may walk becomingly toward those outside and that you may have need of nothing.
13 Now we do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning the ones who sleep, lest you grieve, as indeed the rest who do not have hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so God will also bring with him the ones who have slept through Jesus. 15 For we say this to you by a word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remaining to the presence of the Lord may by no means precede the ones who have slept; 16 because the Lord himself, with a word of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise again first, 17 then we who are alive and remaining shall be seized together with them in the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air; and so we shall be always with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Chapter 5
But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to be written to you; 2 for you yourselves know accurately that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever they say: Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them as the birth pang to the pregnant woman, and they may by no means escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief; 5 for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness; 6 therefore let us not sleep as the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For the ones who sleep are asleep by night, and the ones who are drunk are drunk at night; 8 but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and of love and a helmet of the hope of salvation; 9 because God did not appoint us to wrath but to obtainment of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 the one who died concerning us, in order that whether we watch or we sleep we may live together with him. 11 Therefore, comfort one another and edify one the other, as indeed you do.
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to recognize the ones who labor among you and who take lead of you in the Lord and who admonish you, 13 and most exceedingly consider them in love because of their work.  Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers, admonish the idle, console the faint-hearted, hold on to the ones who are weak, be longsuffering with all men. 15 Watch out lest anyone returns evil instead for evil, but always follow the good in regard to one another and in regard to all men. 16 Rejoice always, pray unceasingly, give thanks in everything; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus in regard to you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not despise prophecies; 21 and prove all things, hold fast the good; 22 abstain from every form of evil. 23 And may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit and soul and body be kept blamelessly until the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, who will indeed do it.
25 Brothers, pray also concerning us.
26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle to be read to all the brothers.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.