The precise wording and meaning of 2 Thessalonians 1:9 is a bit unclear, and we have chosen to deviate from the thoughts expressed in other Bibles for the following reason.
For example, the New American Standard Bible, says:
‘These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.’
However, we believe that this is in error. Literally, the Greek source reads:
‘which/ones justice will/pay ruin age-long (Greek: holethron aionion) from face of/the Lord and from the glory of/the strength of/him.’
Firstly, aionion does not mean eternal, but age-long. In other words, it lasts for a specific period. How long that period may last is unspecified. Yes, it could turn out to be eternity, but it may not turn out to be.
Secondly, being eternally destroyed is inconsistent with the thought of being sent away from the face of the Lord. Is one being destroyed or sent away? Which is it? Indeed, Strong’s says this about the word used in the Greek source, that the word:
“...does not imply ‘extinction’ (annihilation). Rather it emphasizes the consequent loss that goes with the complete ‘undoing.’”
If indeed this should be understood to mean a complete loss or a complete undoing, then the Aramaic sources might agree. The Aramaic word can mean “loss, perdition, waste”, although it could mean “ruin” and “destruction” too.
So, we have translated this verse more literally in a way that harmonizes the Greek and Aramaic, and the context, as:
‘Yes, in justice, they’ll be repaid with age-long ruin away from the face of the Lord and the glory of his might’