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New Testament · 1 Thessalonians §3.1-3.13

Timothy's Mission and Paul's Joy at the Good News

Passage 3 of 5 · Greek

Summary

Deeply concerned for the Thessalonians' faith, Paul sends Timothy, whose subsequent good report of their steadfastness and mutual affection brings him great comfort and prompts a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing.

§3.1Διὸ μηκέτι στέγοντες ηὐδοκήσαμεν καταλειφθῆναι ἐν Ἀθήναις μόνοι, §3.2καὶ ἐπέμψαμεν Τιμό θεον, τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἡμῶν καὶ διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ χριστοῦ, εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλέσαι ὑπὲρ τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν §3.3τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν ταύταις.
Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions.
αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε ὅτι εἰς τοῦτο κείμεθα·
For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.
§3.4καὶ γὰρ ὅτε πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἦμεν, προελέγομεν ὑμῖν ὅτι μέλλομεν θλίβεσθαι, καθὼς καὶ ἐγένετο καὶ οἴδατε.
For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and as you know.
§3.5διὰ τοῦτο κἀγὼ μηκέτι στέγων ἔπεμψα εἰς τὸ γνῶναι τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν, μή πως ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καὶ εἰς κενὸν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν.
For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
§3.6Ἄρτι δὲ ἐλθόντος Τιμοθέου πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφʼ ὑμῶν καὶ εὐαγγελισαμένου ἡμῖν τὴν πίστιν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅτι ἔχετε μνείαν ἡμῶν ἀγαθὴν πάντοτε ἐπιποθοῦντες ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑμᾶς, §3.7διὰ τοῦτο παρεκλήθημεν, ἀδελφοί, ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ θλίψει ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν πίστεως,
But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and that you always remember us kindly, longing to see us just as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith.
§3.8ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν ἐὰν ὑμεῖς στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ.
For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
§3.9τίνα γὰρ εὐχαριστίαν δυνάμεθα τῷ θεῷ ἀνταποδοῦναι περὶ υμῶν ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ χαρᾷ ᾗ χαίρομεν διʼ ὑμᾶς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, §3.10νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ δεόμενοι εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν ὑμῶν τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ καταρτίσαι τὰ ὑστερήματα τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν;
For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
§3.11Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς κατευθύναι τὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς· §3.12ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ κύριος πλεονάσαι καὶ περισσεύσαι τῇ ἀγάπῃ εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας, καθάπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς, §3.13εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας ἀμέμπτους ἐν ἁγιωσύνῃ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ.
Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Notes

  1. 3.3τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι — An articular infinitive construction. It is syntactically appositional to the preceding purpose clause with εἰς τό, specifying the goal or content of the exhortation ("namely, that no one should be shaken"), or functions as an accusative of specification/respect.
  2. 3.5μή πως ἐπείρασεν ὑμᾶς ὁ πειράζων καὶ εἰς κενὸν γένηται ὁ κόπος ἡμῶν — Following the conjunction of apprehension μή πως, a combination of an indicative aorist (ἐπείρασεν, expressing fear about a past fact: "lest the tempter had tempted you") and a subjunctive aorist (γένηται, expressing fear about a future result: "and our labor should become in vain") is used, subtly distinguishing the past reality from its future consequence.
  3. 3.9ᾗ χαίρομεν — The relative pronoun ᾗ is attracted to the dative case of its antecedent πάσῃ τῇ χαρᾷ, whereas grammatically it would function as a cognate accusative (ἣν) with the verb χαίρομεν.

Cite this passage

New Testament, 1 Thessalonians §3.1-3.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0031.tlg013.humanitext-grc2:3.1-3.13

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