THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.
Chapter 1.
Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be to you, and peace. 
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and perseverance in the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before God our Father; 
since we know, brethren beloved of God, that he hath chosen you; 
because the gospel preached by us came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; as ye well know what sort of persons we became among you for your sake. 
And ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy from the Holy Spirit; 
so that ye became an example to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. 
For from you the word of the Lord hath sounded forth not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith toward God hath become known; so that we need not say anything about you. 
For they themselves are reporting concerning us what kind of reception we had among you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, 
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth us from the coming wrath. 
