You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers.

For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, since you have also suffered the same things from people of your own country, just as they did from the Jews

who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us; they displease God and are hostile to everyone,

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are always completing the number of their sins, and wrath has overtaken them at last.

For you are our glory and joy!

so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.

Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing—do so even more.

About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more,

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep.

Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.

But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief.

For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

And we exhort you, brothers: warn those who are irresponsible, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone.