forbearing one another and freely forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; just as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also do.

And whatever you say or do, let it all be done with reference to the Lord Jesus, and through Him continue to give thanks to God the Father.

Fathers, stop exasperating your children, so as to keep them from losing heart.

for you know that it is from the Lord that you are going to get your pay in the form of an inheritance; so keep on serving Christ the Lord.

At the same time keep on praying for me too, that God may open the door of opportunity for the message, so that I may tell the open secret about Christ, for the sake of which I am held a prisoner,

Always let your conversation be seasoned with salt, that is, with winsomeness, so that you may know how to make a fitting answer to everyone.

My dearly loved Tychicus, a faithful minister and my fellow-servant in the Lord's work, will tell you all about me.

Aristarchus, my fellow-prisoner, wishes to be remembered to you; and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas; if he comes to see you, give him a hearty welcome.

So does Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only converts from Judaism that are fellow-workers with me here for the kingdom of God, who have proved a real comfort to me.

When this letter has been read to you, have it read to the church at Laodicea too, and see to it that you too read the one that is coming from Laodicea.

And tell Archippus, "See to it that you continue until you fill full your ministry which you received in the Lord's work."

For we know, brothers so beloved by God, that He has chosen you,

so that you became examples to all the believers in Macedonia and Greece.

(1:7) For the message of the Lord has rung out from you, not only in Macedonia and Greece, but everywhere the report of your faith in God has been told, so that we need never mention it.

But, although we had just suffered and been insulted, as you remember, at Philippi, we again summoned courage by the help of God, in spite of the terrific strain, to tell you God's good news.

for since we have been so approved by God as to be entrusted with the good news, we are now telling it, not to please men but God, who proves and finds approved our hearts.

Because we were yearning for you so tenderly, we were willing, not only to share with you God's good news, but to lay down our very lives too for you, all because you were so dearly loved by us.

For you, brothers, followed the example of God's churches in Judea that are in union with Christ Jesus, for you too have suffered the same sort of ill-treatment at the hands of your fellow-countrymen as they did at the hands of the Jews,

by trying to keep us from speaking to the heathen, so that they may be saved, so as always to fill to the brim the cup of their sins. But at last God's wrath has come upon them.

Now we, brothers, on our part, when we were separated from you for a little while -- in person but not in heart -- were extremely eager and intensely longing to see you.

Because we did want to come to see you; I mean, that I myself, Paul, wanted again and again to come, but Satan prevented it.

So when I could not bear it any longer, I decided to be left behind in Athens alone,

and so I sent my brother Timothy, God's minister in the preaching of the good news of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,

so that none of you might be deceived amid these difficulties. For you knew yourselves that this is our appointed lot,

But now, since Timothy has just come back to me from you, and brought me good tidings of your faith and love, and told me how kindly you remembered me and that you are longing to see me as much as I am to see you,

as night and day I continue to pray with deepest earnestness and keenest eagerness that I may see your faces and round out to completeness what is lacking in your faith?

so that He may strengthen your hearts to be faultless in purity in the sight of God, when our Lord Jesus comes back with all His consecrated ones.

Now, brothers, we ask and beg you, in the face of our union with the Lord Jesus, as you once received from us how you ought to live so as to please God -- as indeed you are living -- to continue to live this life better and better.

For it is God's will that you should keep pure in person, that you should practice abstinence from sexual immorality,

So whoever rejects this teaching is rejecting not man but God who continues to put His Spirit in you.

Now as to brotherly love, you have no need of anyone's writing you, for you have yourselves been taught by God to love one another,

so that you may live influentially with the outsiders, and not be dependent on anybody.

Also we do not want you to have any misunderstanding, brothers, about those who are falling asleep, so as to keep you from grieving over them as others do who have no hope.

For on the Lord's own authority we say that those of us who may be left behind and are still living when the Lord comes back, will have no advantage at all over those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself, at the summons sounded by the archangel's call and by God's trumpet, will come down from heaven, and first of all the dead in union with Christ will rise,

then those of us who are still living will be caught up along with them on clouds in the air to meet the Lord, and so we shall be with the Lord forever.

So continue encouraging one another with this truth.

But as to times and dates, brothers, you have no need of anyone's writing you,

When people say, "Such peace and security!" then suddenly destruction falls upon them, like birth pains upon a woman who is about to become a mother, but they shall not escape, no, not at all.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that that day, like a thief, should take you by surprise;

So let us stop sleeping as others do, but let us stay awake and keep sober.

who died for us, so that whether we still live or sleep we may live in fellowship with Him.

So continue encouraging one another and helping one another in character building.

We beg you, brothers, to practice showing respect to those who labor among you, who are your leaders in the Lord's work, and who advise you;

Make it a habit to give thanks for everything, for this is God's will for you through Christ Jesus.

May God Himself, who gave you peace, consecrate your whole being. May you be safely kept, spirit, soul, and body, so as to be blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back.

We always ought to be thanking God for you, brothers, as it is right to do so, because your faith is growing so much and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing

so that we are always boasting of you among the churches of God for your patient endurance and faith, in spite of your persecutions and crushing sorrows which you are enduring.

This is a proof of God's righteous judgment, His aim being to let you show yourselves worthy of His kingdom, for which you are suffering; since,

so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you through union with Him, in accordance with the favor of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

the one who keeps up his opposition and so far exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, that he actually takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

So now you know the power that is holding him back, that he is to be unveiled at His own appointed time.

and with a completely wicked deception for men who are on the way to destruction, because they refused to love the truth so as to be saved.

so that all who have refused to believe the truth but have chosen unrighteousness instead might be condemned.

We ought always to be thanking God for you, brothers dearly loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through the Spirit's consecration of you and through your faith in the truth,

and to this end He called you by our preaching of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So then, brothers, continue to stand firm and keep a tight grip on the teachings you have received from us, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good thing you do or say.

We have confidence in you through the Lord that you are now practicing the directions which we give you and that you will continue to do so.

May the Lord guide you into a realization of God's love for you and into a patient endurance like Christ's.

I did not eat any man's bread without paying for it, but with toil and hard labor I worked night and day, in order not to be a burden to any of you.

If anyone refuses to obey what we have said in this letter, mark that person and stop having anything to do with him, so that he will feel ashamed of it.

This greeting is in my own hand, Paul's; it is the mark in every letter of mine. This is my handwriting.

by keeping your hold on faith and a good conscience; for some have thrust the latter aside and so have made shipwreck of their faith.

Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan to be so disciplined that they will stop their abusive speech.

for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead peaceful, quiet lives in perfect piety and seriousness.

So I want the men everywhere to offer prayer, lifting to heaven holy hands which are kept unstained by anger and dissensions.

So the pastor must be a man above reproach, must have only one wife, must be temperate, sensible, well-behaved, hospitable, skillful in teaching;

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, or else he may incur reproach and fall into the devil's trap.

so that, if I am detained, you may know how people ought to conduct themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

For everything in God's creation is good, and nothing is to be refused, provided it is accepted with thanksgiving;

But make it your habit to let worldly and old women's stories alone. Continue training yourself for the religious life.

Continue cultivating these things; be devoted to them, so that everybody will see your progress.

Continue to give these directions so that the people may be without reproach.

must have a reputation for doing good deeds, as bringing up children, being hospitable to strangers, washing the feet of God's people, helping people in distress, or devoting herself to any sort of doing good.

and so deserve censure for breaking their previous pledge.

So I would have the younger women marry, have children, and keep house, so as not to give our opponents any occasion for slander.

If a Christian woman has widowed relatives, she should help them, and let the church be free from the burden, so that it can help the widows who are really dependent.

Those who are guilty reprove in public, so that others may be warned.

Some men's sins are very evident and clearly lead them on to judgment, but the sins of others lag behind.

All who are under the yoke of slavery must esteem their masters to be deserving the highest respect, so that the name of God and our teaching may not be abused.

Those who have Christian masters must not pay them less respect because they are brothers; they must serve them all the better, because those who get the benefit of their service are believers and so are dear to them. These are the things that you must continue to teach and urge them to do.

who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

Continue charging the rich of this world to stop being haughty and not to fix their hope on a thing so uncertain as riches, but on God who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment;

in this way amassing for themselves the riches that forever endure in the life to come, so that at last they may grasp the life that is life indeed.

to see you again, that I may feel the fullest joy

So you must never be ashamed of me His prisoner, but suffer for the good news in fellowship with me and by the power of God.

This is why I am suffering so, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have trusted and I am absolutely sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

So you, my son, must keep renewing your strength in the spiritual blessing that comes through union with Christ Jesus.

No soldier ever allows himself to be involved in the business affairs of life, so that he may please the officer who enlisted him.

for the sake of which I am suffering hardships even to the extent of wearing chains as though I were a criminal. But God's message is not in chains.

For this reason I am bearing anything for the sake of His chosen people, so that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

who have missed the truth by saying that the resurrection has already taken place, are undermining some people's faith.

But God's foundation stands unshaken, with these inscriptions: "The Lord knows the people who belong to Him" and "Everyone who bears the name of the Lord must abstain from evil."

So if a man will cleanse himself from these things, he will be an instrument for honorable uses, consecrated, useful for the Master, and ready for any good service.

and they might recover their senses and escape from the devil's trap in which they have been caught by him to do his will.

For some of them practice going into people's houses and capturing weak and silly women who are overwhelmed with the weight of their sins, who are easily led about by all sorts of evil impulses,

Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, these people resist the truth, for they are depraved in mind and so counterfeits in the faith.

so that the man of God may be perfectly fit, thoroughly equipped for every good enterprise.

For a time will come when they will not listen to wholesome teaching, but to gratify their own evil desires will surround themselves with teachers who teach to gratify their own evil desires, because their ears are itching so to be tickled,