We give praise to God at all times for you, keeping you in memory in our prayers;

For not only was the word of the Lord sounding out from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God is made clear; so that we have no need to say anything.

For they themselves give the news of how we came among you; and how you were turned from images to God, to the worship of a true and living God,

Waiting for his Son from heaven, who came back from the dead, even Jesus, our Saviour from the wrath to come.

For you yourselves, brothers, are conscious that our coming among you was not without effect:

But after we had first undergone much pain and been cruelly attacked as you saw, at Philippi, by the help of God we gave you the good news without fear, though everything was against us.

For our witness does not come from error or from an unclean heart or from deceit:

For it is common knowledge among you that we never made use of smooth-sounding false words, and God is witness that at no time were we secretly desiring profit for ourselves,

Or looking for glory from men, from you or from others, when we might have made ourselves a care to you as Apostles of Christ.

But we were gentle among you, like a woman caring for her little ones:

Even so, being full of loving desire for you, we took delight in giving you not only God's good news, but even our lives, because you were dear to us.

For you have the memory, my brothers, of our trouble and care; how, working night and day, so that we might not be a trouble to any of you, we gave you the good news of God.

You are witnesses, with God, how holy and upright and free from all evil was our way of life among you who have faith;

And for this cause we still give praise to God, that, when the word came to your ears through us, you took it, not as the word of man, but, as it truly is, the word of God, which has living power in you who have faith.

For you, my brothers, took as your examples the churches of God which are in Judaea in Christ Jesus; because you underwent the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Jews;

But we, my brothers, being away from you for a short time, in body but not in heart, had all the more desire to see your face;

For which reason we made attempts to come to you, even I, Paul, once and again; but Satan kept us from coming.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of glory? Are not even you, before our Lord Jesus, at his coming?

For you are our glory and our joy.

So that no man might be moved by these troubles; because you see that these things are part of God's purpose for us.

For this reason, when I was no longer able to keep quiet, I sent to get news of your faith, fearing that you might be tested by the Evil One and that our work might come to nothing.

For this cause, brothers, in all our trouble and grief we were comforted about you because of your faith;

For it is life to us if you keep your faith in the Lord unchanged.

For how great is the praise which we give to God for you, and how great the joy with which we are glad because of you before our God;

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus make a way for us to come to you;

So that your hearts may be strong and free from all sin before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

For the purpose of God for you is this: that you may be holy, and may keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh;

And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.

But about loving the brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you in this letter: for you have the teaching of God that love for one another is right and necessary;

But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.

For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping.

Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be for ever with the Lord.

But about the times and their order, my brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you.

For you yourselves have the knowledge that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

But you, my brothers, are not in the dark, for that day to overtake you like a thief:

For you are all sons of light and of the day: we are not of the night or of the dark.

For those who are sleeping do so in the night; and those who are the worse for drink are so in the night;

For God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Who was put to death for us, so that, awake or sleeping, we may have a part in his life.

Let no one give evil for evil; but ever go after what is good, for one another and for all.

In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.

And may the God of peace himself make you holy in every way; and may your spirit and soul and body be free from all sin at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.