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A Life Pleasing to God

¹ Finally, then, brothers,^[a] we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you ^(a)received from us ^(b)how you ought to walk and ^(c)to please God, just as you are doing, that you ^(d)do so more and more. ² For ^(e)you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God, ^(f)your sanctification:^{[b] (g)}that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own ^(h)body^[c] in holiness and ⁽ⁱ⁾honor, ⁵ not in ^(j)the passion of lust ^(k)like the Gentiles ^(l)who do not know God; ⁶ that no one transgress and ^(m)wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is ⁽ⁿ⁾an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For ^(o)God has not called us for ^(p)impurity, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore ^(q)whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, ^(r)who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ Now concerning ^(s)brotherly love ^(t)you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been ^(u)taught by God ^(v)to love one another, ¹⁰ for that indeed is what ^(w)you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to ^(x)do this more and more, ¹¹ and to aspire ^(y)to live quietly, and ^(z)to mind your own affairs, and ^(aa)to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹² so that you may ^(ab)walk properly before ^(ac)outsiders and be dependent on no one.

The Coming of the Lord

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, ^(ad)that you may not grieve as others do ^(ae)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(af)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^(ag)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you ^(ah)by a word from the Lord,^[d] that ^(ai)we who are alive, who are left until ^(aj)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(ak)the Lord himself will descend ^(al)from heaven ^(am)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(an)an archangel, and ^(ao)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(ap)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(aq)caught up together with them ^(ar)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(as)we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.