2 Thessalonians 1

1 [I], Paul, [am writing this letter]. Silas and Timothy [are with me. We are sending this letter] to [you]. You are the congregation [of God’s people] in Thessalonica [city]. You belong to God our Father, and you belong to Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

2 [We pray that] God our Father, and Jesus Christ our Lord, [will continue to] act kindly toward you and [will continue to cause you to have inner] peace.

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

3 [Our] fellow believers, we thank God very frequently [HYP] for you because we believers ought [to thank God for each other, and] specifically it is appropriate/right [that we should thank God for you. We thank him] that you are trusting in [the Lord Jesus] more and more, and that each one of you is loving [each of] the others more and more.

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

4 As a result, we keep proudly telling about you to [other] congregations who [worship] God. [Specifically, we tell them] that you are being steadfast and that you [continue] believing [in the Lord Jesus], even though you are frequently suffering [DOU] as a result of people causing you trouble.

So 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:

5 [Your being steadfast] (shows/indicates to) [us] clearly that God will judge [all people] justly. [Specifically, he] will publicly declare that you are worthy [as his people to be in] that place where he will rule [forever, because] you also are suffering as a result of [telling others about letting] God rule your lives.

[Which 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:

6 [God will certainly cause trouble for] those people who are troubling you, because he [considers] that it is just that he should punish such people for doing that to you.

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

7 He also [considers] that it is the right thing to do to reward you who are being troubled, by (giving you relief/causing your suffering to end). He will do that for both you and us when our Lord Jesus will descend from heaven, together with his powerful angels and with blazing fire.

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

8 [Then he will] punish those people who do not [want to] know him and [those] who refuse to heed the message about our Lord Jesus.

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

9 [Our Lord Jesus] will forbid them from ever coming near to him and near to the glory which he has [because he is so] powerful (OR, the glory that is manifested by his power). He will cause those people to suffer forever. (aiōnios g166)

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (aiōnios g166)

10 [The Lord Jesus] will do this when he comes [back from heaven] at the time [that God has decided]. As a result, all we who are his people will praise him because of [what he has done for his own] people, and all we believers will marvel at our Lord because of [what he has done. And you will be there, too], because you believed what we testified to you.

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

11 In order that you might [praise Jesus like this], we are also praying very frequently [HYP] for you. We pray that [you will be able to show] our God that you are worthy [to receive] that which he chose [you to receive]. We pray also that he would powerfully enable you to do good in every way that you desire, and that he would also enable you to do powerfully every [good] thing [that you do because] you believe [in Jesus Christ].

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

12 [We pray this because we want] you to praise our Lord Jesus, and we want him to honor you. This will happen because God, whom we [worship/serve], and our Lord Jesus Christ will keep acting kindly [toward you] in ways that you do not deserve.

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