2 Thessalonians 1

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Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalo'nians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

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Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

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Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.

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This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering--

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since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

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and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

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inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

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They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

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when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.

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To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,

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so 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 Thessalonians 2

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Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,

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not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

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Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition,

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who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

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Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?

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And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.

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For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

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And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.

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The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders,

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and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

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Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false,

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so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

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To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,

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comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 3

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Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you,

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and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith.

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But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil.

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And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things which we command.

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May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

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Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

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For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,

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we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.

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It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate.

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For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat.

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For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.

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Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.

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Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing.

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If any one refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.

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Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

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Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

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I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.

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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.