1 Thessalonians 3
1 Therefore, when we could not hold on any longer, we decided to stay behind in Athens by ourselves 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and coworker for Goda regarding Christ’s triumphant message, to support and encourage you concerning your commitmentb 3 so that no one will be upsetc concerning these troubles. You have seen for yourselves this is what we are here for 4 since even when we were with you, we were predicting to you that we were about to encounter trouble, and it happened that way, as you saw. 5 Because of this, I was not able to hold on any longer, and I sent him to learn about your commitment, for fear that somehow the Testerd put you to the test, and our labor came up empty.
6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you and announced a triumphant message to us about your commitment and love and that you always have a pleasant memory of us, longing to see us just like we also long to see you. 7 Because of this, Family, we were encouraged because of you during all our distress and troublee because of your commitment; 8 we are alive for now if you are firmly committedf regarding the Lord. 9 What gratitude can we repay to God about you for all the joy we experienceg because of you in the presence of our God 10 while we plead immeasurably much, night and day, to see your faces and to contribute the things that are missing from your commitment?
11 Then: May our same God and Father, and our Lord Jesus, clear the way to you for us. 12 May the Lord increase your love for each other and for everyone and cause it to overflow, just like the love we have for you, 13 toward firmly committing your hearts that are without any cause for blame with regard to sacredness in the presence of our God and Father at the arrival of our Lord Jesus with all his sacred ones.
FOOTNOTES:
a The Greek is not completely clear here. The Greek theos (‘God’) is in the genitive case, often translated as ‘of God.’ It could be taken as a Possessive Genitive, which would make Timothy God’s coworker. While not impossible, it seems unlikely that is the intent here. It could also be a Genitive of Production/Producer, making it ‘coworker produced/provided by God.’ It could also be a Genitive of Source, as in ‘coworker from God.’ The way it is translated here as ‘for God’ takes it to be a Genitive of Destination/Purpose.
b Or ‘faithfulness’ or ‘allegiance’ or ‘trust’
c Literally, ‘to wag the tail.’ It had several possible figurative uses, including flattering, to agitate, and others.
d Compare with Matthew 4:3
e Both the word for ‘distress’ and ‘trouble’ here have a sense of being about oppression or suffering, not mere inconveniences or disappointments.
f The instances of ‘commitment’ prior to this sentence are all pistis and could also be translated as ‘faithfulness’ or ‘allegiance’ or ‘trust.’ This word translated as ‘firmly committed’ is steko, and it has a literal meaning of ‘stand’ and a metaphorical meaning of “to be firmly committed in conviction or belief,” i.e. ‘stand firm’ or ‘be steadfast’ (BDAG).
g Literally, ‘all the joy we rejoice’