¹From Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace to you.

Paul Gives Thanks for the Thessalonians’ Faith

²We always thank God for all of you, and we’re constantly praying for you.

³Whenever we pray to our God and Father, we remember the work that your faith produces, the service that’s the result of your love, and the strength to continue that comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴We know, brothers and sisters, that God loves you and that God has chosen you,

⁵because our good news didn’t just come to you through our words. It came with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with great confidence. You know what we went through for your sake when we were with you.

⁶And you imitated both us and the Lord Jesus, because even in the midst of terrible suffering, you welcomed our message with the joy that the Holy Spirit gives.

⁷So you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

⁸The Lord’s message rang out from you, and not just in Macedonia and Achaia. Your faith in God has become known everywhere, so we don’t have to say anything about it.

⁹All the other believers are already talking about the kind of welcome you gave us, about how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God,

¹⁰and about how you’re waiting for his Son to come from heaven. The Son is the one God raised from the dead, Jesus, and he saves us from God’s coming anger.