I press forward to the mark for the prize of the high call of God in Christ Jesus.

Be followers of me, brothers, and observe those who walk so as you have us for an example.

For many walk, of whom I told you often and now also tell you weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ;

Be anxious for nothing, but with all prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

But I rejoice greatly in the Lord, that now at length you began again to care for me, for whom also you did care, but had no opportunity [to serve me].

Not that I speak of want; for I have learned in whatever circumstances I am to be contented.

for even in Thessalonica and once and again you sent to my need.

We thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints,

on account of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the true word of the gospel

as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,

Therefore we also, from the day that we heard, cease not to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy;

giving thanks to the Father who has made us fit for a portion in the inheritance of the saints in light,

for by him were all things created which are in heaven and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and for him,

for in him [God] was well pleased that all fullness should dwell,

Now I rejoice in sufferings for you, and supply the deficiencies of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the church,

of which I was made a minister according to the dispensation of God given me for you, to complete the word of God,

for which I also labor, striving with his power which operates in me with power.

For I wish you to know what a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

For if I am absent in the flesh, still I am present in spirit with you, rejoicing and beholding your order and the strength of your faith in Christ.

for in him dwells all the fullness of the Deity bodily

Which have an appearance of wisdom in voluntary worship and humiliation, and in a rigorous treatment of the body, [which is held] in no respect for the surfeiting of the flesh.

For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God;

for which comes the wrath of God.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for which you have been called in one body; and be thankful.

Children, obey [your] parents in all things; for this is well pleasing in the Lord.

And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men;

for he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done, and there is no respect of persons.

praying also at the same time for us, that God will open to us a door of utterance to declare the mystery of Christ, for which also I am bound,

whom I have sent to you for this purpose, that he may know your affairs and comfort your hearts,

Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner salutes you, and Mark the nephew of Barnabas,??oncerning whom you received commandments, if he comes to you receive him,??11 and Jesus called Justus, who are of the circumcision; these are the only co-laborers for the kingdom of God who have been a comfort to me.

Epaphras, who is of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, salutes you, always striving for you in prayers that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

For I bear him witness that he has great zeal for you and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.

We thank God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

that our gospel came not to you in word only, but with power and with the Holy Spirit and with full assurance, as you know what we were among you for your sakes.

For from you the word of the Lord was proclaimed not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith with respect to God went into every place, so that we had no need to say any thing;

for they declare of us what introduction we had to you, and how you turned from idols to God, to serve the living and true God,

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

For you know, brothers, our introduction to you that it was not in vain,

For our exhortation was not of error, nor of impurity, nor with deceit,

For we used at no time a word of flattery, as you know, nor a pretext for covetousness, God is witness,

For you remember, brothers, our labor and weariness; that working night and day not to be burdensome to any one of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, that receiving the word of God heard from us, you received not a word of men, but, as it is in truth, a word of God, who also works in you that believe.

For you, brothers, became followers of the churches of God in Christ Jesus which were in Judea, for you also suffered the same things from your countrymen, which they did from the Jews

But we, brothers, being deprived of you for a short time in presence, not in heart, used greater diligence to see your face, with much desire.

For which reason we wished to come to you; I Paul indeed once and again, and Satan hindered us.

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

For you are our glory and joy.

that no one should be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed for this;

for indeed when we came to you, we told you before that we were about to suffer affliction, as it also happened, and you know.

For this reason, being no longer able to forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest in some way the tempter should have tempted you, and our labor be in vain.

for now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

For what thanksgiving can we render to God for you for all the joy with which we rejoice on your account before our God,

For you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your purity, that you should abstain from fornication,

For God has not called us to impurity, but to purity.

But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you; for you are taught by God to love one another;

for you also do the same to all the brothers in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, to abound still more,

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also will God bring with him those that have fallen asleep on account of Jesus.

For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who live and remain till the coming of the Lord, shall not anticipate those that have fallen asleep,

for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first,

for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night.

for you are all children of light, and children of day; we are not of night nor of darkness.

For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that are drunk drink in the night;

but let us who are of day be sober, putting on a cuirass of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation,

for God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we may live together with him.

See that no one renders evil for evil, but always pursue the good both one to another and to all.

give thanks on every occasion; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to us.

abstain from every form of evil.

Brothers, pray for us.

We ought to thank God always for you, brothers, as is fit, because your faith increases greatly, and the love of every one of you all one for another abounds,

a token of the righteous judgment of God that you should be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer,

when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired by all that believe in that day, for our testimony was believed by you.

For which also we pray always for you, that our God will account you worthy of the calling, and accomplish all the good pleasure of [his] goodness and the work of faith with power;

Let no one deceive you in any way, for [he shall not come] unless the apostacy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,

For the mystery of wickedness already works, [God] only restrains it just now, till it shall be out of the way;

But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you to salvation by purification of spirit, and belief of the truth,

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, as also with you,

and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for all have not faith.

For you know yourselves how you ought to follow us, for we walked not disorderly among you,

neither did we eat bread of any one for nought, but worked with labor and fatigue, night and day, not to be burdensome to any of you;

not that we have not a right [to a support], but that we may make ourselves an example for you to follow us.

For when we were with you, we gave you this charge, that if any one will not work, neither let him eat.

For we hear that some go about among you in a disorderly manner, not working, but being above work;

knowing this, that a law is not made for a righteous man, but for the wicked and disorderly, the impious and sinful, the unholy and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers and murderers of their fellow-men,

but on this account I obtained mercy, that Jesus Christ might exhibit in me first all long-suffering, for an example to those who should hereafter believe in him to life eternal.

I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings should be offered for all men,

for kings and all in authority, that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives in all piety and sanctity.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour,

For there is one God, and one mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus,

who gave himself a ransom for all, a testimony for its own times,

For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

For they who exercise the deaconship well, procure for themselves an honorable standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be rejected, [but] to be received with thanksgiving;

for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer.

for bodily exercise profits little; but piety is profitable in all things, having a promise of the present life and of the life to come.

For to this end we also labor and suffer reproach, because we hope in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful.

Attend to yourself, and to teaching; continue in it, for doing this you will both save yourself and those that hear you.