1 C hristian brothers, we ask you, because of the Lord Jesus, to keep on living in a way that will please God. I have already told you how to grow in the Christian life.

For the rest, then, brethren, we beg you and exhort you in Lord Jesus, even as ye have received from us how ye ought to walk and please God, even as ye also do walk, that ye would abound still more.

2 T he Lord Jesus gave us the right and the power to tell you what to do.

For ye know what charges we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 G od wants you to be holy. You must keep away from sex sins.

For this is will of God, your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication;

4 G od wants each of you to use his body in the right way by keeping it holy and by respecting it.

that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour,

5 Y ou should not use it to please your own desires like the people who do not know God.

(not in passionate desire, even as the nations who know not God,)

6 N o man should do wrong to his Christian brother in anything. The Lord will punish a person who does. I have told you this before.

not overstepping the rights of and wronging his brother in the matter, because the Lord the avenger of all these things, even as we also told you before, and have fully testified.

7 F or God has not called us to live in sin. He has called us to live a holy life.

For God has not called us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.

8 T he one who turns away from this teaching does not turn away from man, but from God. It is God Who has given us His Holy Spirit.

He therefore that disregards, disregards, not man, but God, who has given also his Holy Spirit to you.

9 Y ou do not need anyone to write to you about loving your Christian brothers. God has taught you to love each other.

Now concerning brotherly love ye have no need that we should write to you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 Y ou love all the Christians in all the country of Macedonia. But we ask you to love them even more.

For also ye do this towards all the brethren in the whole of Macedonia; but we exhort you, brethren, to abound still more,

11 D o your best to live a quiet life. Learn to do your own work well. We told you about this before.

and to seek earnestly to be quiet and mind your own affairs, and work with your hands, even as we charged you,

12 B y doing this, you will be respected by those who are not Christians. Then you will not be in need and others will not have to help you. The Lord Is Coming Again

that ye may walk reputably towards those without, and may have need of no one.

13 C hristian brothers, we want you to know for sure about those who have died. You have no reason to have sorrow as those who have no hope.

But we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are fallen asleep, to the end that ye be not grieved even as also the rest who have no hope.

14 W e believe that Jesus died and then came to life again. Because we believe this, we know that God will bring to life again all those who belong to Jesus.

For if we believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

15 W e tell you this as it came from the Lord. Those of us who are alive when the Lord comes again will not go ahead of those who have died.

(For this we say to you in word of Lord, that we, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep;

16 F or the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud call. The head angel will speak with a loud voice. God’s horn will give its sounds. First, those who belong to Christ will come out of their graves to meet the Lord.

for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel's voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

17 T hen, those of us who are still living here on earth will be gathered together with them in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in the sky and be with Him forever.

then we, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in air; and thus we shall be always with Lord.

18 B ecause of this, comfort each other with these words.

So encourage one another with these words.)