Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace.

Thus says the Lord to his anointed, Cyrus,/ whose right hand I grasp,/ subduing nations before him,/ and making kings run in his service,/ opening doors before him/ and leaving the gates unbarred:/ For the sake of Jacob, my servant,/ of Israel, my chosen one,/ I have called you by your name,/ giving you a title, though you knew me not./ I am the Lord and there is no other,/ there is no God besides me./ It is I who arm you, though you know me not,/ so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun/ people may know that there is none besides me./ I am the Lord, there is no other.

Brothers and sisters: ­­­­­­­­Hea­r­ing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, I do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.

Brothers and sisters: In Christ we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters: If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

Brothers and sisters: It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman.

Brothers and sisters: I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts/ will provide for all peoples/ a feast of rich food and choice wines,/ juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines./ On this mountain he will destroy/ the veil that veils all peoples,/ the web that is woven over all nations;/ he will destroy death forever./ The Lord God will wipe away/ the tears from every face;/ the reproach of his people he will remove/ from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken./ On that day it will be said:/ “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!/ This is the Lord for whom we looked;/ let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”/ For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.