2 Thessalonians 2

1 Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered to meet him, we beg you, friends,

2 not to be quickly shaken in your mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come.

not lightly to let your minds become unsettled or disturbed by any revelation, or by any message or letter purporting to come from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is come.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction.

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For it will not come before the final rebellion against God, when lawlessness is revealed in human form, headed for destruction.

4 He opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.

He is the adversary of everything that is spoken of as a god or as an object of worship, enthroning himself in God”s Temple claiming to be God!

5 Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things?

Don’t you remember how, when I was with you, I used to speak to you of all this?

6 Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.

And you know now what the restraining influence is which prevents his appearing before his appointed time.

7 For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way.

Wickedness, indeed, is already at work in secret, but only until he who at present restrains it is removed out of the way.

8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;

Then the lawless person will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth, annihilate him by the splendour of his coming.

9 even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

When the lawless person comes, there will be great activity on the part of Satan, in the form of all kinds of deceptive miracles, signs, and marvels, as well as of wicked attempts to delude –

10 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

to the ruin of those who are on the path to destruction, because they have never received and loved the truth to their own salvation.

11 Because of this, God sends them a powerful delusion, that they should believe a lie,

That is why God places them under the influence of a delusion, to cause them to believe a lie;

12 that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

so that sentence may be passed on all those who refuse to believe the truth, but delight in wickedness.

13 But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth,

But, friends, whom the Lord loves, it is our duty always to thank God about you, for, from the first, God chose you for salvation through the purifying influence of the Spirit, and your belief in the truth.

14 to which he called you through our Good News, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

To this you were called by the good news which we brought you, to attain to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold the traditions which you were taught by us, whether by word or by letter.

Stand firm then, friends, and hold fast to the truths that we taught you, whether by word or by letter.

16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, (aiōnios g166)

And may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and, in his loving kindness, gave us unfailing consolation and good ground for hope, (aiōnios g166)

17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word.

console your hearts, and strengthen you to do and to say all that is right.