Chosen for Salvation

¹³ But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters^[a] beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits^[b] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news,^[c] so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters,^[d] stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Request for Prayer

3 Finally, brothers and sisters,^[e] pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, ² and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.^{[f] 4} And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

A Third Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

³¹ Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. ³² For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. ³³ After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” ³⁴ But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.