But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you {Some ancient authorities read as thieves.}as a thief:
for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;
so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that, whether we {Or, watch}wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Wherefore {Or, comfort chapter 4:18.}exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.
But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.
See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Quench not the Spirit;
despise not prophesyings;
{Many ancient authorities insert but.}prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil.
And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the {Or, presence}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.
Brethren, pray for us {Some ancient authorities add also.}.
Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.
I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the {Many ancient authorities insert holy.}brethren.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Querverweise zu 1. Thessalonicher 5,9 1Thes 5,9
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivereth us from the wrath to come.
What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:
that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed.
For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you {Many ancient authorities read as firstfruits.}from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and {Or, faith}belief of the truth:
Jehovah hath made everything for {Or, his own purpose}its own end;Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
whereunto he called you through our {Greek: good tidings: see chapter 1:8.}gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: It shall come to pass in that day, that things shall come into thy mind, and thou shalt devise an evil device:
and thou shalt say, I will go up to {Or, an open country}the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates;
to take the spoil and to take the prey; to turn thy hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and against the people that are gathered out of the nations, that have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the {Hebrew: navel. See Judges 9:37.}middle of the earth.
Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take the spoil? hast thou assembled thy company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?
Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwelleth securely, shalt thou not know it?
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the uttermost parts of the north, thou, and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army;
and thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring thee against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?
though I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief;
The Son of man goeth, even as it is written of him: but woe unto that man through whom the Son of man is {See marginal note on chapter 10:4.}betrayed! good were it {Greek: for him if that man.}for that man if he had not been born.
howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me as chief might Jesus Christ show forth all his longsuffering, for an ensample of them that should thereafter believe on him unto eternal life.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, {Psalm 69:25}Let his habitation be made desolate,And let no man dwell therein:and, {Psalm 109:8.}His {Greek: overseership.}office let another take.
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.
who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of {Many ancient authorities read the Lord.}God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
{Many ancient authorities read Symeon. See Acts 15:14.}Simon Peter, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained {Greek: an equally precious.}a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of {Or, our God and Saviour Compare verse 11; 2:20; 3:18; Titus 2:13}our God and the Saviour Jesus Christ:
for the children being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth,
it was said unto her, {Genesis 25:23}The elder shall serve the younger.
Even as it is written, {Malachi 1:2 f}Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
For he saith to Moses, {Exodus 33:19}I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, {Exodus 9:16}For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth.
So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will be hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?
Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?
What if God, {Or, although willing}willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted unto destruction:
{Some ancient authorities omit and.}and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory,
Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, {Numbers 16:5?}The Lord knoweth them that are his: and, {Isaiah 26:13?}Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
and, {Isaiah 8:14.}A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; {Greek: who.}for they {Or, stumble, being disobedient to the word}stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.
For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old {Or, set forth}written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying {Or, the only Master, and our Lord Jesus Christ}our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.