The Call to Sanctification

4 Additionally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God – as you are doing^[a] – do this even more. ² For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is God’s will,^(A) your sanctification:^(B) that you keep away^(C) from sexual immorality, ⁴ that each of you knows how to control his own body^[b] in holiness and honour, ⁵ not with lustful passions,^(D) like the Gentiles, who don’t know God. ⁶ This means one must not transgress against and take advantage^(E) of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offences, as we also previously told and warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us to impurity^(F) but to live in holiness. ⁸ Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.^(G)

Loving and Working

⁹ About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write to you because you yourselves are taught by God^(H) to love one another.^{(I) 10} In fact, you are doing this towards all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia.^(J) But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, ¹¹ to seek to lead a quiet life,^(K) to mind your own business,^[c] and to work^(L) with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² so that you may behave properly^(M) in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.^[d](N)

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.^{(O) 14} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose^(P) again,^(Q) in the same way, through Jesus,^(R) God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For we say this to you by a word from the Lord:^(S) We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming^(T) will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.^{(U) 16} For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,^[e](V) with the archangel’s^(W) voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ^(X) will rise first. ¹⁷ Then^(Y) we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds^(Z) to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage^[f] one another with these words.