14 of complaint against another; as the Christ hath freely forgiven 15 you, so do ye. And over all these put on love which is the

band of this perfection; and let the peace of God, to which 16 you have been called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be ye grateful. Let the word of the Christ dwell richly in you with all wisdom, when you teach and admonish one another; when with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs you sing grate17 fully to the Lord with your heart. Indeed whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the God and Father by him.

18 Wives, be submissive to your own husbands, as is fit in 19 the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and be not imbittered against them.

20

Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well 21 pleasing to the Lord.

2223

Fathers, exasperate not your children, lest they be discouraged.

Servants, obey in all respects them who are your masters 23 according to the flesh; not with eye-service as men pleasers,

but with singleness of heart, fearing God; and whatever you 24 do, do it heartily as for the Lord, and not for men, knowing 25 that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance; for you are serving the Lord Christ, and he who doth wrong shall receive according to the wrong he hath done. There is no respect of persons.

IV.

2

Masters, render to your servants what is just and equitable; knowing that you have a master in heaven.

Continue in the constant exercise of prayer, watching there3 in with thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us also, that 4 God would open for us the door of the word, that we may declare the mystery of the Christ (for which I indeed am in bonds) that I may publish it in the manner I ought to do. 5 Walk in wisdom towards them who are without, redeeming the time.

6 Let your conversation be always with courteousness, seasoned with salt, with a knowledge how you ought to answer

7

every one.

With regard to my affairs, you will receive full information from Tychicus, the beloved brother, and faithful minis

8 ter, and fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that he may know your situation and 9 comfort your hearts; together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will inform you of the state of all things here.

10

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you. So doth Marcus the nephew of Barnabas, concerning whom you have 11 received letters of recommendation, If he come to you, receive him. Jesus also, who is called Justus, saluteth you. These are the only persons of the circumcision who are my fellow labourers for the kingdom of God. These have been a com12 fort to me. Epaphras who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always in his prayers making the most fervent supplications for you, that you may stand perfect and confirm

13 ed in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he hath a great zeal for you, and for those of Laodicea and Hierapo14 lis. Luke the physician, the beloved, saluteth you: so doth Demas.

15 Salute the brethren at Laodicea, particularly Nymphas 16 and the congregation at his house. And when this letter hath been read among you, cause it to be read also in the congre17 gation of the Laodiceans; and read ye that from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, Be careful to discharge the office which thou hast received from the Lord.

The salutation of me Paul with my own hand. Remember my bonds.

The favour be with you. Amen.

THE FIRST EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL

TO THE

THESSALONIANS.

I.

2

PAUL, and Silvanus, and Timothy, to the congregation of the Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Favour be to you, and peace, from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making men3 tion of you in our prayers, remembering incessantly the work of your belief, and the labour of your love, and the perseverance of your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of 4 our God and Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, the choice made of you—that our glad tidings did not come to you in word only, but with power, and with a holy spirit, and with much assurance.

5 As you knew what manner of persons we were among you 6 for your sakes, you indeed became imitators of us, and of the

Lord, having embraced the word in much affliction, with the 7 joy of a holy spirit; so that you became patterns for all the 8 believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you the word of the Lord hath been sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia; but, in every place, your belief in God is spread 9 to such a degree, as rendereth it unnecessary for us to say any thing. For they themselves relate concerning us what an entrance we had among you; and how you turned to God from the idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for 10 his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, namely Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come.

II. For you, brethren, yourselves know that entrance of ours 2 among you, that it was not in vain. Though we indeed had suffered before, and had been treated injuriously, as you know, at Philippi; we had the courage, by the help of our God, to declare to you the glad tidings of God with much earnestness. 3 For our exhortation did not proceed from error, nor from im4 purity; nor was it with deceit; but as we had been approved by God to be entrusted with the glad tidings, so we speak, 5 not as pleasing men, but God who trieth our hearts. For never did we at any time use flattering words, as you know; nor a pretext for covetousness, God is witness; nor were we seek6 ing human glory either from you or from others. We might have appeared with weight as Christ's apostles; but we were 7 gentle among you. Our affectionate regard for you being such 8 as that with which a nursing mother would cherish her own children, we were willing to impart to you not only the glad tidings of God, but even our own lives, because you were 9 dear to us. For you, brethren, remember our labour and our toil: for working day and night that we might not be burthensome to any of you, we proclaimed to you the glad tidings of 10 God. You are witnesses, and God is witness, how holy, how 11 just, how irreproachable our behaviour was to you who believ

ed-how, as you know, we [exhorted] every one of you, as a 12 father would his children, exhorting you, and comforting you,

and testifying that you should walk worthy of God who invit13 eth you to his kingdom and glory. On this account also we give thanks to God continually, because, when you received from us this message of God, you embraced it, not as a word of men, but, as it really is, a word of God, which operateth 14 with powerful effect in you who believe. For you, brethren, became imitators of the congregations of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus.

15

Because you suffered from your countrymen the same treatment as they did from the Jews (from those indeed who slew the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and persecuted 16 us, and who please not God, and are in opposition to all men, hindering us from speaking to the nations that they may be saved; thus filling up the measure of their sins continually : 17 but the wrath is at last coming upon them,) therefore we bre

thren, being torn from you for a short time-in person, not in heart, did the more earnestly endeavour to see your face. 18 Having therefore a longing desire, we wished to come to you,

(particularly I Paul) once and again, but Satan obstructed us. 19 For what is our hope, or will be our joy, or crown of rejoic20 ing? Will it not be you in the presence of our Lord Jesus III. Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and our joy.

Wherefore not being able to bear any longer, we acquiesced 2 in being left alone in Athens, and sent Timothy our brother, and a minister of God, and our fellow labourer in the glad tidings of the Christ, to establish you and comfort you concerning your belief; that none of you might be staggered by 3 those afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are de4 stined for this. For when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we should soon be afflicted, as it hath actually 5 come to pass, and you know; therefore not being able to bear

any longer, I sent to know your faith, for fear the tempter 6 might have tempted you, and our labour be in vain. But Ti

mothy having now come to us from you, and brought us the good news of your belief and love, and that you have always a good remembrance of us, earnestly desiring to see us, as 7 we do to see you; we therefore, brethren, under all our affliction and distress are comforted in respect to you, by your faith.

8

Now because we live if you continue stedfast in the Lord, 9 what thanks then can we render to God respecting you, for all the joy with which we rejoice on your account, in the pre10 sence of our God; day and night supplicating in the most earnest

manner to see your face and to complete the remainders of 11 your belief! now may he himself, our God and father, and 12 our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you! and may the

Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another 13 and for all men, (as we do for you) so as to establish your hearts unblameable in holiness, in the presence of our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his holy ones.

IV..

Wherefore, as to what remaineth, we beseech you brethren, and exhort you, by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you ought to walk and please God, you