The Sudden Arrival of the Day of the Lord

5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you, ² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever they say “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of a pregnant woman^[a], and they will not possibly escape. ⁴ But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief, ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

⁶ So then, we must not sleep like the rest, but must be on the alert and be self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. ⁸ But because^[b] we are of the day, we must be sober, by^[c] putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation, ⁹ because God did not appoint us for wrath, but for the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live at the same time with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up each other^[d], just as indeed you are doing.