| NET Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more. | 1Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. |
| 2For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus. | 2For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. |
| 3For this is God's will: that you become holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, | 3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; |
| 4that each of you know how to possess his own body in holiness and honor, | 4that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, |
| 5not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. | 5not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; |
| 6In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly. | 6and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. |
| 7For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. | 7For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. |
| 8Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. | 8So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. |
| 9Now on the topic of brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. | 9Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; |
| 10And indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers and sisters in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, | 10for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, |
| 11to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, as we commanded you. | 11and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, |
| 12In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need. | 12so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. |
| 13Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. | 13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. |
| 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. | 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. |
| 15For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. | 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. |
| 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. | 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. |
| 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. | 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. |
| 18Therefore encourage one another with these words. | 18Therefore comfort one another with these words. |
| NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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