1 From Paul, Silas [Acts 15:22, 40], and Timothy [Acts 16:1–5; 1 Cor. 16:10–11; Phil. 2:19–24; 1 and 2 Timothy].

To the church in Thessalonica [^Lof the Thessalonians; ^Ca city in Macedonia, present-day northern Greece], the church in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace to you.

The Faith of the Thessalonians

² We always thank God for all of you and mention you when we pray. ³ We continually recall before God our Father ·the things you have done because of your faith [^Lyour work of/from faith], ·the work you have done because of your love [^Lyour labor of/from love] and your ·continuing strength because of your hope [^Lendurance of/from hope] in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ Brothers and sisters, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you, ⁵ because the ·Good News [Gospel] we brought to you came not only with words, but with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with ·sure knowledge that it is true [great conviction]. You know how we lived when we were with you ·in order to help you [for your sake]. ⁶ And you became ·like us and like [imitators of us and of] the Lord. You ·suffered much [experienced many trials/much persecution], but still you accepted the teaching with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. ⁷ So you became an ·example to [model for] all the believers in Macedonia [^Cthe Roman province in which Thessalonica was located, present-day northern Greece] and Achaia [^Cpresent-day southern Greece]. ⁸ And the Lord’s ·teaching [message; word] ·spread [rang out; sounded forth] from you not only into Macedonia and Achaia, but now your faith in God has ·become known [gone forth] everywhere. So we do not need to say anything about it. ⁹ ·People everywhere [^LFor they themselves] are ·telling [reporting; announcing] about the way you ·accepted [welcomed] us when we were there with you. They tell how you ·stopped worshiping idols [^Lturned to God from idols] to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom God raised from the dead. He is Jesus, who ·saves [rescues; delivers] us from ·God’s angry judgment that is sure to come [^Lthe coming wrath].