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^(C1)Paul, ^(C2)Silvanus, and ^(C3)Timothy, To the ^(C4)church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ^(C5)Grace to you and peace.

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^(C1)We always give thanks to God for all of you, ^(C2)making mention of you in our prayers;

constantly keeping in mind your ^(C1)work of faith and labor of ^(C2)love and ^(F1)(C3)perseverance of hope ^(F2)in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of ^(C4)our God and Father,

knowing, ^(C1)brothers and sisters, beloved by God, ^(C2)His choice of you;

for our ^(C1)gospel did not come to you in word only, but also ^(C2)in power and in the Holy Spirit and with ^(C3)full conviction; just as you know ^(C4)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sakes.

You also became ^(C1)imitators of us and of the Lord, ^(C2)having received ^(C3)the word during great affliction with the ^(C4)joy of the Holy Spirit,

so that you became an example to all the believers in ^(C1)Macedonia and ^(C2)Achaia.

For ^(C1)the word of the Lord has ^(C2)sounded forth from you, not only in ^(C3)Macedonia and ^(C4)Achaia, but ^(C5)in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything.

For they themselves report about us ^(F1)as to the kind of ^(C1)reception we had with you, and how you ^(C2)turned to God ^(C3)from ^(F2)idols to serve ^(F3)(C4)a living and true God,

and to ^(C1)wait for His Son from ^(F1)heaven, whom He ^(C2)raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who ^(C3)rescues us from ^(C4)the wrath to come.

For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our ^(F1)(C1)reception among you ^(C2)was not in vain,

but after we had already suffered and been ^(C1)treated abusively in ^(C2)Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God ^(C3)to speak to you the ^(C4)gospel of God ^(F1)amid much ^(F2)(C5)opposition.

For our ^(C1)exhortation does not come from ^(C2)error or ^(C3)impurity or ^(F1)by way of ^(C4)deceit;

^(C1)but just as we have been approved by God to be ^(C2)entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, ^(C3)not intending to please people, but to please God, who ^(F1)(C4)examines our hearts.

For we never came ^(F1)with flattering speech, as you know, nor with ^(C1)a pretext ^(F2)for greed—^(C2)God is our witness—

nor did we ^(C1)seek honor from people, either from you or from others, though ^(F1)we could have ^(F2)asserted our authority as ^(C2)apostles of Christ.

But we ^(F1)proved to be ^(F2)(C1)gentle ^(F3)among you. ^(C2)As a nursing mother ^(F4)tenderly cares for her own children,

in the same way we had a fond affection for you and were delighted to ^(C1)share with you not only the ^(C2)gospel of God, but also our own ^(F1)lives, because you had become ^(F2)very dear to us.

For you recall, brothers and sisters, our ^(C1)labor and hardship: it was by ^(C2)working night and day so as not to be a ^(C3)burden to any of you, that we proclaimed to you the ^(C4)gospel of God.

You are witnesses, and so is ^(C1)God, of ^(C2)how devoutly and rightly and blamelessly we ^(F1)behaved toward you ^(F2)believers;

just as you know how we were ^(C1)exhorting and encouraging and ^(C2)imploring each one of you as ^(C3)a father would his own children,

so that you would ^(C1)walk in a manner worthy of the God who ^(C2)calls you into His own kingdom and ^(C3)glory.