1 Thessalonians 2:1

¹Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you,

¹³For this cause we also thank God without ceasing that when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, God’s word, which also works in you who believe.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

¹Unless the LORD builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.

¹³Behold, isn’t it from the LORD of Armies that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

²by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

¹⁶holding up the word of life, that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

⁵For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.

³remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. ⁴We know, brothers^[+] by God, that you are chosen, ⁵and that our Good News came to you not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. ⁶You became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all who believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out, so that we need not to say anything. ⁹For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead: Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.