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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.

For this reason we also constantly ^(C1)thank God that when you received the ^(C2)word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(C3)not as the word of mere men, but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(C4)which also is at work in you who believe.

For you, brothers and sisters, became ^(C1)imitators of ^(C2)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are ^(C3)in Judea, for ^(C4)you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, ^(C5)even as they did from the Jews,

^(C1)who both killed the Lord Jesus and ^(C2)the prophets, and ^(F1)drove us out. ^(F2)They are not pleasing to God, ^(F2)but hostile to all people,

^(C1)hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles ^(C2)so that they may be saved; with the result that they always ^(F1)(C3)reach the limit of their sins. But ^(C4)wrath has come upon them ^(F2)fully.

But we, brothers and sisters, having been orphaned from you by absence for a ^(F1)short while—^(C1)in ^(F2)person, not in ^(F3)spirit—were all the more eager with great desire ^(C2)to see your face.

^(F1)For ^(C1)we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, ^(F2)(C2)more than once—and ^(C3)Satan ^(C4)hindered us.

For who is our hope, or ^(C1)joy or crown of pride, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His ^(F1)(C2)coming? Or is it not indeed you?

For you are ^(C1)our glory and joy.

Therefore, ^(C1)when we could no longer endure it, we thought it best to be left behind, alone at ^(C2)Athens,

and we sent ^(C1)Timothy, our brother and God's fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the benefit of your faith,

so that no one would be ^(F1)disturbed by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that ^(C1)we have been destined for this.

For even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; ^(F1)(C1)and so it happened, ^(F2)as you know.

For this reason, ^(C1)when I could no longer endure it, I also ^(C2)sent to ^(F1)find out about your faith, for fear that ^(C3)the tempter might have tempted you, and ^(C4)our labor would be for nothing.

But now that ^(C1)Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of ^(C2)your faith and love, and that you always ^(C3)think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you,

for this reason, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith;

for now we really live, if you ^(C1)stand firm in the Lord.

For ^(C1)what thanks can we give to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice because of you before our God,

as we ^(C1)keep praying most earnestly night and day that we may ^(C2)see your faces, and may ^(C3)complete what is lacking in your faith?

^(C1)Now may ^(C2)our God and Father ^(C3)Himself, and our Lord Jesus, ^(C4)direct our way to you;

and may the Lord cause you to increase and ^(C1)overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;

so that He may ^(C1)establish your hearts ^(C2)blameless in holiness before ^(C3)our God and Father at the ^(F1)(C4)coming of our Lord Jesus ^(C5)with all His ^(F2)saints.