2 Tesalonika 2:11

2:11 Consequently ¹  God sends on them a deluding influence ²  so that they will believe what is false.

2 Tesalonika 2:7-8

2:7 For the hidden power of lawlessness ³  is already at work. However, the one who holds him back ⁴  will do so until he is taken out of the way, 2:8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord ⁵  will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.

2 Tesalonika 2:12

2:12 And so ⁶  all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned. ⁷ 

2 Tesalonika 1:11

1:11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling ⁸  and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith,

2 Tesalonika 2:3

2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes ⁹  and the man of lawlessness ¹⁰  is revealed, the son of destruction. ¹¹ 

2 Tesalonika 2:15

2:15 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ¹²  stand firm and hold on to the traditions that we taught you, whether by speech or by letter. ¹³ 

2 Tesalonika 2:2

2:2 not to be easily ¹⁴  shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, ¹⁵  to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

2 Tesalonika 1:10

1:10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired ¹⁶  on that day among all who have believed – and you did in fact believe our testimony. ¹⁷ 

2 Tesalonika 2:14

2:14 He called you to this salvation ¹⁸  through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁹ 

2 Tesalonika 3:14

3:14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed.

2 Tesalonika 2:9

2:9 The arrival of the lawless one ²⁰  will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles ²¹  and signs and false wonders,

2 Tesalonika 3:1

Request for Prayer

3:1 Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters, ²²  that the Lord’s message ²³  may spread quickly and be honored ²⁴  as in fact it was among you,

2 Tesalonika 3:12

3:12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and so provide their own food to eat. ²⁵ 

2 Tesalonika 2:5

2:5 Surely you recall ²⁶  that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you.

2 Tesalonika 1:7

1:7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed ²⁷  from heaven with his mighty angels. ²⁸ 

2 Tesalonika 1:5

Encouragement in Persecution

1:5 This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy ²⁹  of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering.

2 Tesalonika 3:17

3:17 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is how I write in every letter. ³⁰ 

2 Tesalonika 3:16

Conclusion

3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Tesalonika 3:4

3:4 And we are confident about you in the Lord that you are both doing – and will do – what we are commanding.

2 Tesalonika 1:4

1:4 As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.

2 Tesalonika 2:1

The Day of the Lord

2:1 Now regarding the arrival ³¹  of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, ³²  we ask you, brothers and sisters, ³³ 

2 Tesalonika 2:13

Call to Stand Firm

2:13 But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters ³⁴  loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning ³⁵  for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

2 Tesalonika 1:3

Thanksgiving

1:3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, ³⁶  and rightly so, ³⁷  because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater.

2 Tesalonika 2:4

2:4 He ³⁸  opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat ³⁹  in God’s temple, displaying himself as God. ⁴⁰ 

2 Tesalonika 1:12

1:12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to ⁴¹  the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Tesalonika 1:9

1:9 They ⁴²  will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, ⁴³ 

2 Tesalonika 3:6

Response to the Undisciplined

3:6 But we command you, brothers and sisters, ⁴⁴  in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who lives an undisciplined ⁴⁵  life ⁴⁶  and not according to the tradition they ⁴⁷  received from us.

2 Tesalonika 3:9

3:9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate. ⁴⁸ 

2 Tesalonika 2:10

2:10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against ⁴⁹  those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth ⁵⁰  so as to be saved.

2 Tesalonika 2:6

2:6 And so ⁵¹  you know what holds him back, ⁵²  so that he will be revealed in his own time.

2 Tesalonika 3:3

3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he ⁵³  will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Tesalonika 3:5

3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God ⁵⁴  and the endurance of Christ. ⁵⁵ 

2 Tesalonika 3:2

3:2 and that we may be delivered from perverse and evil people. For not all have faith.

2 Tesalonika 1:6

1:6 For it is right ⁵⁶  for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

2 Tesalonika 3:10

3:10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.”

[2:11]  ¹ tn Grk “and for this reason.”

[2:11]  ² tn Grk “a working of error.”

[2:7]  ³ tn Grk “the mystery of lawlessness.” In Paul “mystery” often means “revealed truth, something formerly hidden but now made widely known,” but that does not make sense with the verb of this clause (“to be at work, to be active”).

[2:7]  ⁴ tn Grk “the one who restrains.” This gives a puzzling contrast to the impersonal phrase in v. 6 (“the thing that restrains”). The restraint can be spoken of as a force or as a person. Some have taken this to mean the Roman Empire in particular or human government in general, since these are forces that can also be seen embodied in a person, the emperor or governing head. But apocalyptic texts like Revelation and Daniel portray human government of the end times as under Satanic control, not holding back his influence. Also the power to hold back Satanic forces can only come from God. So others understand this restraint to be some force from God: the preaching of the gospel or the working of the Holy Spirit through God’s people.

[2:8]  ⁵ tc ‡ Several important witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western traditions, as well as many other witnesses, read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) after κύριος (kurios, “Lord”; so א A D* F G L^c P Ψ 0278 33 81 104 365 1241 2464 pc latt sy co). But there is sufficient evidence in the Alexandrian tradition for the shorter reading (B 1739 1881), supported by the Byzantine text as well as Irenaeus. Although it is possible that scribes overlooked ᾿Ιησοῦς if the two nomina sacra occurred together (kMsiMs), since “the Lord Jesus” is a frequent enough appellation, it looks to be a motivated reading. NA²⁷ places ᾿Ιησοῦς in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[2:12]  ⁶ tn Grk “that.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “be judged,” but in this context the term clearly refers to a judgment of condemnation (BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α; cf. KJV “that they all might be damned”). CEV views the condemnation as punishment (“will be punished”).

[1:11]  ⁸ tn Or “your calling.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “for unless the rebellion comes first.” The clause about “the day” is understood from v. 2.

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tc Most mss (A D F G Ψ Ï lat sy) read ἁμαρτίας (Jamartia", “of sin”) here, but several important mss (א B 0278 6 81 1739 1881 al co) read ἀνομίας (anomia", “of lawlessness”). Although external support for ἁμαρτίας is broader, the generally earlier and better witnesses are on the side of ἀνομίας. Internally, since ἁμαρτία (Jamartia, “sin”) occurs nearly ten times as often as ἀνομία (anomia, “lawlessness”) in the corpus Paulinum, scribes would be expected to change the text to the more familiar term. At the same time, the mention of ἀνομία in v. 7 and ὁ ἄνομος (Jo anomo", “the lawless one”) in v. 8, both of which look back to v. 3, may have prompted scribes to change the text toward ἀνομίας. The internal evidence is thus fairly evenly balanced. Although a decision is difficult, ἀνομίας has slightly greater probability of authenticity than ἁμαρτίας.

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “the one destined for destruction.”

[2:15]  ¹² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.

[2:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “that you were taught whether by word or by letter of ours.”

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “quickly, soon.”

[2:2]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “as through us.”

[1:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “marveled at.”

[1:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “because our testimony to you was believed.”

[2:14]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to which,” referring to the main idea of v. 13.

[2:14]  ¹⁹ sn That you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. For Paul the ultimate stage of salvation is glorification (Rom 8:30).

[2:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “whose coming,” referring to the lawless one. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “every miracle.”

[3:1]  ²² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.

[3:1]  ²³ tn Or “the word of the Lord.”

[3:1]  sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the Lord’s message” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.

[3:1]  ²⁴ tn Grk “may run and be glorified.”

[3:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “that by working quietly they may eat their own bread.”

[2:5]  ²⁶ tn Grk “You do remember, don’t you?”

[1:7]  ²⁷ tn Grk “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus.”

[1:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “angels of power,” translated as an attributive genitive.

[1:5]  ²⁹ tn Grk “so that you may be made worthy.” The passive infinitive καταξιωθῆναι (kataxiwqhnai) has been translated as an active construction in English for stylistic reasons.

[3:17]  ³⁰ tn Grk “The greeting in my hand, Paul, which is a sign in every letter, thus I write.”

[3:17]  sn Up to 3:17 the letter was dictated by Paul but written down by a secretary or amanuensis. But Paul took up the pen and wrote vv. 17-18 personally to authenticate that it was his (how I write in every letter). See similar indications in 1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; and Col 4:18.

[2:1]  ³¹ tn Or perhaps “return” (cf. CEV).

[2:1]  ³² tn Grk “our gathering with him.”

[2:1]  ³³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.

[2:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.

[2:13]  ³⁵ tc ‡ Several mss (B F G P 0278 33 81 323 1739 1881 al bo) read ἀπαρχήν (aparchn, “as a first fruit”; i.e., as the first converts) instead of ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς (ap’ arch", “from the beginning,” found in א D Ψ Ï it sa), but this seems more likely to be a change by scribes who thought of the early churches in general in this way. But Paul would not be likely to call the Thessalonians “the first fruits” among his converts. Further, ἀπαρχή (aparch, “first fruit”) is a well-worn term in Paul’s letters (Rom 8:23; 11:16; 16:5; 1 Cor 15:20, 23; 16:15), while ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς occurs nowhere else in Paul. Scribes might be expected to change the text to the more familiar term. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult (see arguments for ἀπαρχήν in TCGNT 568), and ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς must be preferred only slightly.

[1:3]  ³⁶ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:3]  ³⁷ tn Grk “as is worthy.”

[2:4]  ³⁸ tn Grk “the one who opposes,” describing the figure in v. 3. A new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the personal pronoun (“he”) and translating the participle ἀντικείμενος (antikeimeno") as a finite verb.

[2:4]  ³⁹ sn Allusions to Isa 14:13-14; Dan 11:36; Ezek 28:2-9 respectively.

[2:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “that he is God.”

[1:12]  ⁴¹ tn Or “by means of.”

[1:9]  ⁴² tn Grk “who,” describing the people mentioned in v. 8. A new sentence was started here in the translation by replacing the relative pronoun with a personal pronoun.

[1:9]  ⁴³ tn Or “power,” or “might.” The construction can also be translated as an attributed genitive: “from his glorious strength” (cf. TEV “glorious might”; CEV “glorious strength”; NLT “glorious power”).

[1:9]  sn An allusion to Isa 2:10, 19, 21.

[3:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:3.

[3:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “unruly, out of line.” The particular violation Paul has in mind is idleness (as described in vv. 8-11), so this could be translated to reflect that.

[3:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “walking in an undisciplined way” (“walking” is a common NT idiom for one’s way of life or conduct).

[3:6]  ⁴⁷ tc The reading “you received” (παρελάβετε, parelabete) is found predominately in Western witnesses (F G 1505 2464 pc), although the support of B and the Sahidic version strengthens the reading considerably. The reading “they received” is found in two different forms: παρελάβοσαν (parelabosan; in א* A [D*] 0278 33 pc) and παρέλαβον (parelabon; in א² D² Ψ 1739 1881 Ï). (παρέλαβον is evidently a correction of παρελάβοσαν to the more common spelling for the third person aorist form). The external evidence is divided fairly evenly, with παρελάβετε and παρελάβοσαν each having adequate support. Internal evidence leans toward “they received”: Given the second person reading, there is little reason why scribes would intentionally change it to a third person plural, and especially an archaic form at that. There is ample reason, however, for scribes to change the third person form to the second person form given that in the prior context παράδοσις (paradosis, “tradition”) is used with a relative clause (as here) with a second person verb (see 2:15). The third person form should be regarded as original.

[3:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “an example for you to imitate us.”

[2:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “deception for/toward.”

[2:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “they did not accept the love of the truth.”

[2:6]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “and now,” but this shows the logical result of his previous teaching.

[2:6]  ⁵² tn Grk “the thing that restrains.”

[3:3]  ⁵³ tn Grk “who.”

[3:5]  ⁵⁴ tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ θεοῦ (thn agaphn tou qeou, “the love of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“God’s love”) or an objective genitive (“your love for God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on believers being directed toward the love God gives which in turn produces increased love in them for him.

[3:5]  ⁵⁵ tn The genitive in the phrase τὴν ὑπομονὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ (thn Jupomonhn tou Cristou, “the endurance of Christ”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“Christ’s endurance”) or an objective genitive (“endurance for Christ”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, the emphasis would be on believers being directed toward the endurance Christ showed which in turn produces endurance in them for him.

[1:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “if in fact/since,” as a continuation of the preceding.