1 Thessalonians 2 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 50-51
Location
Thessalonica, Macedonia (modern-day Greece)
Audience
The young Christian church in Thessalonica
Situation
Paul recalls his recent visit and defends his sincere, selfless ministry among them against slander from opponents, emphasizing his bold gospel proclamation despite persecution and hardship.
Key Background
On his second missionary journey (Acts 17), Paul, Silas, and Timothy preached in Thessalonica's synagogue, converting some Jews, many God-fearing Greeks, and prominent women, but faced violent opposition from jealous Jewish leaders who incited a mob and dragged church supporter Jason before authorities. Paul and Silas fled by night to Berea, then Paul went to Athens and Corinth. From Corinth, after receiving Timothy's encouraging report on the Thessalonians' steadfast faith amid trials, Paul wrote this first letter to affirm their standing and exhort perseverance.
You yourselves know, and that our to you wasn't a waste of time.
Instead, even though we had already been and in Philippi — as you know — we the through our God to share God's with you, even though there was serious
Because our doesn't come from or from impure motives, or from trying to trick you.
Instead, as people who have been and by God to be trusted with the good news, that's exactly how we speak — not to impress people, but to please God, who
You know we never used and God is our witness that we never had greedy ulterior motives.
We weren't looking for praise from people — not from you, not from anyone else — even though as of the we could have
Instead, we were among you, like a tenderly caring for her own children.
We you so that we were happy to share with you not only God's good news but very because you had become so dear to us.
You remember, brothers and sisters, our — we worked night and day so we wouldn't be a on any of you while we shared God's good news with you.
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how how and how our behavior was among you who in
You know that we treated each one of you the way a treats his own children —
you, comforting you, and urging you to live in a way that's of God, who is inviting you into his own and
And here's another reason we constantly thank when you received the of that you heard from us, you didn't accept it as just a human You accepted it for what it actually is — the of which is in you who trust it.
Because you, brothers and sisters, started following the pattern of God's in Judea who are with the One, Jesus — you suffered the same things from your own people that they suffered from theirs,
who killed both the and the and drove us out too. They displease God and are hostile to everyone,
trying to stop us from speaking to so they could be They keep up their to the limit. But the have up with them.
But when we were from you, brothers and sisters — physically, not in our hearts — we were even more desperate to see you face to face.
We wanted to come to you — I, Paul, tried again and again — but the blocked our way.
After all, what is our hope, our joy, or the we'll be proud of when our Lord Jesus Isn't it you?
You absolutely are our and