unfoldingWord® Translation Questions
v88
2 Thessalonians
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unfoldingWord® Translation Questions
Date: 2026-01-14
Version: v88
Published by: unfoldingWord®
unfoldingWord® Literal Text
Date: 2026-01-14
Version: v88
Published by: unfoldingWord®
unfoldingWord® Simplified Text
Date: 2026-01-14
Version: v88
Published by: unfoldingWord®
Table of Contents
2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 1
2 Thessalonians 1:1
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:1ULT:
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
UST:
{I,} Paul, {am writing this letter.} Silas and Timothy {are with me. We are sending this letter} to {you,} the group of believers in the city of Thessalonica, who belong to God our Father and to {our} Lord Jesus the Messiah.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 1:2
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:2ULT:
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
UST:
{May} God our Father and our Lord Jesus the Messiah {continue to be} kind to you and {make you} peaceful.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 1:3
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:3ULT:
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, just as it is fitting, because your faith is increasing greatly, and the love of each one of you all for one another is increasing;
UST:
Our fellow believers, we should thank God very frequently for you{, and we certainly do}! It is very appropriate that we should do this, because you are trusting in the Lord Jesus more and more, and because every one of you is loving each of the others more and more.
For what two things in the church at Thessalonica does Paul give thanks to God?
Paul give thanks to God for their growing faith and for their love toward each other.
2 Thessalonians 1:4
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:4ULT:
so that we ourselves boast concerning you among the churches of God about your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and afflictions that you endure,
UST:
As a result, we keep proudly talking about you to the other groups of believers belonging to God. We tell them how you patiently endure {suffering} and how you continue trusting in the Lord Jesus, even though other people continually cause you to suffer.
What circumstances are the believers enduring in Thessalonica?
The believers are enduring persecutions and afflictions.
2 Thessalonians 1:5
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:5ULT:
evidence of the righteous judgment of God, for you to be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;
UST:
{We can clearly see that God has made you able to stay faithful to Jesus while people make you suffer.} From that we know that God judges justly, because it means that he considers you to be worthy of being part of his people forever. That is what you are suffering for.
What will be the positive result of the circumstances the believers are enduring?
The believers will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.
2 Thessalonians 1:6
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:6ULT:
if indeed {it is} righteous for God to return affliction to the ones afflicting you,
UST:
Since God judges justly, he will certainly also cause suffering for those people who are making you suffer.
What will God do to those who afflict the believers? (1:6-8)
God will afflict those who afflict the believers, punishing them with flaming fire.
2 Thessalonians 1:7
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:7ULT:
and relief to you, the ones being afflicted with us at the revealing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels,
UST:
He will also cause the people who are afflicting you to stop doing it. He will also do that for us. This will happen when our Lord Jesus shows himself to everyone as he returns from heaven with his powerful angels.
When will the believers be relieved of their afflictions?
The believers will be relieved when Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven.
2 Thessalonians 1:8
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:8ULT:
in flaming fire taking vengeance on the ones not having known God and on the ones not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus,
UST:
Then with blazing fire he will punish those people who have rejected God, those who refuse to accept the good news about our Lord Jesus.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 1:9
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:9ULT:
who will pay the penalty—eternal destruction away from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his power,
UST:
These people will experience the direct result {of rejecting God}. They will be apart from the Lord {Jesus} forever, where they will never know how wonderfully powerful he is, and where they will be always dying.
How long will the punishment be for those who do not know God?
The punishment for those who do not know God will be eternal.
From what are those who do not know God separated as part of their punishment?
Those who do not know God are separated from the presence of the Lord as part of their punishment.
2 Thessalonians 1:10
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:10ULT:
when he comes on that day to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all the ones having believed, for our testimony to you has been believed.
UST:
{This will happen} when the Lord Jesus comes back from heaven at the time that God has decided. As a result, all we who are his people will praise him and marvel at him. {You will be there, too,} because you believed us when we told you the things about Jesus that we knew to be true.
What will the believers do when they see Christ come on his day?
The believers will marvel at Christ when he comes on his day.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:11ULT:
For this we also pray always for you, so that our God may consider you worthy of the calling and he may fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith in power
UST:
We frequently ask God {to strengthen you spiritually so} that you might praise Jesus like this. We pray that the God whom we worship will make you worthy to be the new people that he has invited you to be. We pray that he will empower you to accomplish every good thing that you want to do because God has inspired you to do it.
What is the result of the believers’ good works of faith done in God’s power? (1:11-12)
The result of their good works is that the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified.
2 Thessalonians 1:12
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 1:12ULT:
so that the name of our Lord Jesus might be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
UST:
We pray this because we want you to praise our Lord Jesus, and we want him to honor you. This will happen because the God whom we worship and our Lord Jesus the Messiah are exceedingly kind to you.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2
2 Thessalonians 2:1
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:1ULT:
Now about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering to him, we ask you, brothers,
UST:
Now {I want to write to you} about the time when our Lord Jesus the Messiah will return and will gather us to himself. My fellow believers, I urge you
About what event does Paul say he is now going to write?
Paul says he is now going to write concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:2
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:2ULT:
for you not to be quickly shaken in your mind and not to be troubled neither by a spirit nor by a word nor by a letter as if from us, as if the day of the Lord has already come.
UST:
to think calmly about any message that may have come to you that says that the Lord Jesus has already returned to earth. Do not let this kind of message upset you. It does not matter if the message comes from a spirit or if it comes from a person or if it is in a letter that someone claims that I wrote.
What does Paul tell them not to believe?
Paul tells them not to believe that the day of the Lord has already come.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:3ULT:
May no one deceive you in any way, for unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
UST:
Do not allow anyone to persuade you to believe any such message.
It is not true, because other things {that have not yet happened} must happen before {the Lord returns}. Before the Lord returns, a large number of people will rebel against God. They will accept and obey a certain man who will oppose everything that God has said. (After some time, God will destroy him.)
What does Paul say must come before the day of the Lord?
The falling away and the revealing of the man of lawlessness must come before the day of the Lord.
2 Thessalonians 2:4
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:4ULT:
the one opposing and exalting himself against everything being called god or an object of worship. As a result, he himself sits in the temple of God, showing that he himself is God.
UST:
This man will say that he is greater than everything that people consider to be God and everything that people worship. He will oppose both. As a result, he will even sit {in God’s place} in God’s temple to proclaim that he himself is God!
What does the man of lawlessness do?
The man of lawlessness opposes and exalts himself against God, sitting in the temple of God and portraying himself as God.
2 Thessalonians 2:5
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:5ULT:
Do you not remember that, still being with you, I was telling you these things?
UST:
I am sure that you remember that I told you all about these things while I was still with you {there in Thessalonica}.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2:6
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:6ULT:
And now you know the one restraining {him}, until his revealing in his time.
UST:
You also know what is preventing this man from showing himself to everybody now. He will not be able to show himself until the time that God has set for him.
When will the man of lawlessness be revealed? (2:6-7)
The man of lawlessness will be revealed when it is time, when the one who restrains him is taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:7ULT:
For the mystery of lawlessness is already working, only the one restraining {him} now will do so until he comes out of the way,
UST:
Clearly, people are already opposing what God has said, for reasons that only believers can understand. But someone is preventing this man {from revealing himself} now, and he will continue to prevent this man until God tells him to stop preventing this man.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2:8
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:8ULT:
and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth, and will bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming,
UST:
It is then that God will allow this man who completely rejects God’s instructions to show himself to everyone. (In the end, Jesus will return. When this man sees Jesus, this man will become completely powerless. Then the Lord Jesus will speak a command that will destroy this man.)
What will Jesus do to the man of lawlessness when Jesus is revealed?
When Jesus is revealed, he will kill the man of lawlessness.
2 Thessalonians 2:9
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:9ULT:
the arrival of whom is according to a work of Satan in all power and signs and false wonders
UST:
{But before Jesus destroys this man,} Satan will work very powerfully through this man. Satan will empower this man to do all kinds of supernatural deeds that look like the miracles that God does.
Who is working with the man of lawlessness to give him power, signs, and false wonders?
Satan is working with the man of lawlessness to give him power, signs, and false wonders.
2 Thessalonians 2:10
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:10ULT:
and in all deceit of unrighteousness to the ones perishing, because of which they did not receive the love of the truth for them to be saved.
UST:
This man will be very wicked and will deceive very many people. These people will perish because they did not accept the true message about Jesus as highly valuable, so God will not save them.
Why are some deceived by the man of lawlessness and are perishing?
Some are deceived because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:11
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:11ULT:
And because of this, God is sending to them a working of error for them to believe the lie
UST:
Because these people reject the true message about Jesus, God enables them to think falsely so that they will believe this man’s lies.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2:12
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:12ULT:
so that they might all be judged, the ones not having believed the truth, but having taken pleasure in the unrighteousness.
UST:
God does that so that he may justly condemn all those who refused to believe the true message about Jesus, people who instead preferred to do things that are wicked.
In what do those who are deceived and perishing take pleasure?
Those who are deceived and perishing take pleasure in unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:13ULT:
Now we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers having been loved by the Lord. For God chose you {as} firstfruitsfor salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth.
UST:
But we should always thank God for you, our fellow believers, you whom our Lord Jesus loves. We should do this because God chose you to be among the first people to believe the true message about Jesus. God chose you to be among the first people that he would save and set apart for himself by means of his Spirit.
What did God choose for the Thessalonians to obtain through the gospel? (2:13-14)
God chose for the Thessalonians to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ through the gospel.
2 Thessalonians 2:14
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:14ULT:
He called you to this through our gospel, to the acquiring of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
UST:
God invited you to belong to him as we proclaimed to you the good news about Jesus so that God might honor you in some of the same ways that he honors our Lord Jesus the Messiah.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2:15
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:15ULT:
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold tight to the traditions that you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.
UST:
So, our fellow believers, continue to strongly believe in the Messiah. Continue believing the true teachings that we have passed on to you when we spoke to you and wrote a letter to you.
What does Paul call the Thessalonians to do now that they have received the gospel?
Paul calls the Thessalonians to stand firm and to grasp the traditions that they were taught.
2 Thessalonians 2:16
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:16ULT:
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave {us} eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
UST:
God our Father loves us. Because he is extremely kind to us, he will continue to encourage us forever, and we can expect to receive good things from him. We pray that he and our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself will encourage you and make you able to continually do and say every kind of good thing.
(vv16-17)
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 2:17
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 2:17ULT:
may he comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
UST:
God our Father loves us. Because he is extremely kind to us, he will continue to encourage us forever, and we can expect to receive good things from him. We pray that he and our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself will encourage you and make you able to continually do and say every kind of good thing.
(vv16-17)
In what does Paul desire the Thessalonians to be established in their hearts?
Paul desires that the Thessalonians be established in every good work and word.
2 Thessalonians 3
2 Thessalonians 3:1
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:1ULT:
Finally, brothers, pray for us so that the word of the Lord might run and might be glorified, just as also with you,
UST:
This is the last part of what I want to say. Our fellow believers, pray for us that many more people will soon hear the message about our Lord Jesus and honor it, just as you have done.
For what does Paul want the Thessalonians to pray regarding the word of the Lord?
Paul wants the Thessalonians to pray that the word of the Lord would spread rapidly and be glorified.
2 Thessalonians 3:2
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:2ULT:
and so that we might be rescued from the perverse and evil men, for not everyone {has} the faith.
UST:
Pray also for us that God will keep the many evil people from harming us. As you know, most people are not faithful to the Lord.
From whom does Paul wish to be delivered?
Paul wishes to be delivered from wicked and evil people who do not have faith.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:3ULT:
But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen and keep you from the evil one.
UST:
Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus is faithful to you! He will make you strong spiritually and he will protect you from Satan, the evil one.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:4
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:4ULT:
We are also confident in the Lord about you that you are doing and will do what we command.
UST:
Because you are joined to our Lord Jesus, we are also confident that you are now obeying what we have commanded you, and that you will obey what we are commanding you {in this letter}.
What does Paul tell the Thessalonians to continue to do?
Paul tells the Thessalonians to continue to do the things he has commanded them.
2 Thessalonians 3:5
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:5ULT:
Now may the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.
UST:
We pray that our Lord Jesus would continue to help you to experience how much God loves you as well as to experience the endurance that the Messiah will give you.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:6
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:6ULT:
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for you to keep away from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the traditions which you received from us.
UST:
Our fellow believers, accept what we say now as if our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself were saying this: we command you to stop associating with every fellow believer who is lazy and refuses to work. These people are not living in the way that Jesus taught us and that we in turn have taught you.
How are the believers to react every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the traditions they received from Paul?
The believers are to avoid every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the traditions they received from Paul.
2 Thessalonians 3:7
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:7ULT:
For you yourselves know in what manner it is necessary to imitate us, because we did not behave disorderly among you,
UST:
We tell you this because you yourselves know that you should behave just as we behaved. We did not just sit there without working while we were living among you.
What example did Paul set for the Thessalonians regarding his work and support? (3:7-8)
Paul labored night and day, paying for his food, and not being a burden to anyone.
2 Thessalonians 3:8
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:8ULT:
nor did we eat bread from anyone for free, but, working night and day in toil and hardship not to burden any of you,
UST:
That is to say, we did not eat anyone’s food if we did not pay for it. Instead, we worked very hard all the time {to support ourselves}. We did that so that we would not have to depend on any of you {for what we needed}.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:9
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:9ULT:
not because we do not have authority, but in order that we might offer ourselves {as} an example to you to imitate us.
UST:
God has certainly authorized us to receive what we need from his people. But instead of demanding things from you, we worked hard so that you could see how God wants his people to live, and then you could live in just the same way.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:10
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:10ULT:
For even when we were with you, we were commanding you this, “If anyone is not willing to work, do not even let him eat.”
UST:
Remember that when we were there with you, we kept commanding you that if any fellow believer refuses to work, you should not give him food to eat.
What did Paul command concerning anyone who does not want to work?
Paul commanded that anyone who does not want to work should not eat.
2 Thessalonians 3:11
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:11ULT:
For we hear about some walking idly among you, not working, but meddling.
UST:
Now we tell you this again, because people have told us that some of you are lazy and not working at all. Not only that, but some of you are interfering with what other people are doing.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:12
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:12ULT:
But such ones we are commanding and exhorting in the Lord Jesus Christ, that working with quietness, they might eat their own bread.
UST:
Accept what we say now as if the Lord Jesus the Messiah himself were saying this: We command and urge those fellow believers who are not working to mind their own business and to work so that they have what they need to live.
Instead of being lazy, what does Paul command such people to do?
Paul commands the lazy to work with quietness and to eat their own food.
2 Thessalonians 3:13
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:13ULT:
But you, brothers, do not become weary in doing what is right.
UST:
As for you fellow believers who are working hard, do not ever get tired of doing what is right!
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:14
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:14ULT:
Now if anyone does not obey our word through the letter, note this one—not to associate with him, so that he may be put to shame.
UST:
If any fellow believer does not obey what we have written in this letter, publicly identify that person. Then do not associate with him, in order that he may become ashamed {that he is not working}.
What are the brothers to do with anyone who does not obey Paul’s instruction in this letter?
The brothers are to have no association with anyone who does not obey Paul’s instruction in this letter.
2 Thessalonians 3:15
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:15ULT:
And do not consider {him} as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
UST:
Do not think of him as though he were your enemy; instead, warn him as you would warn your other fellow believers.
(There are no questions for this verse)
2 Thessalonians 3:16
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:16ULT:
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace through all in every way. The Lord {be} with you all.
UST:
I pray that our Lord, who is the only one who can truly make anyone peaceful, will make you peaceful in every way and in all situations.
I pray that our Lord Jesus will continue to help you all.
What does Paul desire that the Lord would give the Thessalonians?
Paul desires that the Lord would give the Thessalonians peace at all times in all ways.
2 Thessalonians 3:17
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:17ULT:
This greeting {is} in my own hand—Paul—which is a sign in every letter. In this manner I write.
UST:
{Now I have taken the pen from my scribe, and} I, Paul, am sending this greeting to you as I write this myself. I do this in all my letters in order that you may know that it is truly I who have sent this letter. This is how I always end my letters.
How does Paul show that he is the author of this letter?
Paul wrote the greeting with his own hand as the sign that he is the author.
2 Thessalonians 3:18
unfoldingWord® Translation Questions :: 2 Thessalonians 3:18ULT:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ {be} with you all.
UST:
I pray that our Lord Jesus the Messiah will continue to act kindly to you all.
(There are no questions for this verse)