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.

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;

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

for you know what commandments 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 the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

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 should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

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

not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know 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.

that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.

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

For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.

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.

Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. A Brotherly and Orderly Life

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

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by 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.

and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

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

that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded 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 you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

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 I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others 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 died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in 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 by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are 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 will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will 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 who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

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

Therefore comfort one another with these words.