1I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy join me in writing.
We are sending this letter to you, the members of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be given to you.
Paul Gives Thanks for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2We always thank God for all of you. We keep on praying for you. 3We remember you when we pray to our God and Father. Your work is produced by your faith. Your service is the result of your love. Your strength to continue comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God. We know that he has chosen you. 5Our good news didn’t come to you only in words. It came with power. It came with the Holy Spirit’s help. He gave us complete faith in what we were preaching. You know how we lived among you for your good. 6We and the Lord were your examples. You followed us. You welcomed our message even when you were suffering terribly. You welcomed it with the joy the Holy Spirit gives. 7So you became a model to all the believers in the lands of Macedonia and Achaia. 8The Lord’s message rang out from you. That was true not only in Macedonia and Achaia. Your faith in God has also become known everywhere. So we don’t have to say anything about it. 9The believers themselves report the kind of welcome you gave us. They tell about how you turned away from statues of gods. And you turned to serve the living and true God. 10They tell about how you are waiting for his Son to come from heaven. God raised him from the dead. He is Jesus. He saves us from God’s anger, and his anger is sure to come.
1我保羅同西拉和提摩太寫信給帖撒羅尼迦屬於父上帝和主耶穌基督的教會。
願恩典和平安歸給你們！
信徒的榜樣
2我們常常為你們眾人感謝上帝，為你們禱告， 3在我們的父上帝面前不斷地想到你們因信我們主耶穌基督而做的工作、因愛祂而受的勞苦和因祂所賜的盼望而激發的忍耐。
4上帝所愛的弟兄姊妹，我們知道上帝揀選了你們， 5因為我們傳福音給你們不只是靠言語，也靠上帝的能力、聖靈的同在和充分的確據。你們也知道，我們為了你們的緣故怎樣在你們中間行事為人。 6你們效法了我們和我們的主，儘管深受苦難，仍然懷著聖靈所賜的喜樂領受真道， 7成了馬其頓和亞該亞所有信徒的榜樣。 8主的道從你們那裡不僅傳到了馬其頓和亞該亞，還傳到了其他各地，你們對上帝的信心也廣為人知，我們無須再多說什麼。 9因為人們都在傳講你們如何接待我們，如何離棄偶像歸向上帝，事奉又真又活的上帝， 10等候祂的兒子從天降臨，就是祂使之從死裡復活、救我們脫離將來可怕審判1·10 「可怕審判」希臘文是「烈怒」。的耶穌。
