2 Thessalonians 1:5

Encouragement in Persecution

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

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8

1:7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed ²  from heaven with his mighty angels. ³  1:8 With flaming fire he will mete out ⁴  punishment on those who do not know God ⁵  and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 2:10

2:10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against ⁶  those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth ⁷  so as to be saved.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God ⁸  and the endurance of Christ. ⁹ 

2 Thessalonians 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 Thessalonians 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. ¹⁰ 

¹ 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.

² tn Grk “at the revelation of the Lord Jesus.”

³ tn Grk “angels of power,” translated as an attributive genitive.

³ tn Grk “meting out,” as a description of Jesus Christ in v. 7. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

⁴ sn An allusion to Jer 10:25, possibly also to Ps 79:6 and Isa 66:15.

⁴ tn Grk “deception for/toward.”

⁵ tn Grk “they did not accept the love of the truth.”

⁵ 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.

⁶ 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.

⁶ tn Grk “that by working quietly they may eat their own bread.”