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¹ Finally then, brothers, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, even as you do walk, -that you abound more and more.² For you know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.³ For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication;⁴ that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,⁵ not by immoral sexual passion, even as the Gentiles who don't know God;⁶ that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.⁷ For God called us not for impurity, but in sanctification.⁸ Therefore he that rejects, rejects not man, but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ But concerning love of the brothers you have no need that one write to you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another;¹⁰ for indeed you do it toward all the brothers that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;¹¹ and that you make it your aim to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we charged you;¹² that you may walk becomingly toward those that are outside, and may have need of nothing.

¹³ But we would not have you ignorant, brothers, concerning those that fall asleep; that you do not sorrow, even as the rest, who have no hope.¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also that have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.¹⁵ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left to the coming of the Lord, shall in no way precede those that have fallen asleep.¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;¹⁷ then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.