You [are] witnesses, and [so is] God, how devoutly and righteously and blamelessly we became to you who believe,

For you became imitators, brothers, of the churches of God [which] are in Judea in Christ Jesus, because you also suffered the same [things] at the hands of your own people, just as [they] themselves [did] also at the hands of the Jews,

who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and who persecuted us, and [who are] not pleasing to God and [are] opposed to all people,

For you are our glory and joy.

[so that] no one would be shaken by these afflictions. For [you] yourselves know that we are appointed for this,

Finally therefore, brothers, we ask you and appeal to [you] in the Lord Jesus that, just as you have received from us how it is necessary for you to live and to please God, just as indeed you are living, that you progress even more.

But concerning brotherly love, I do not have need to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

for indeed you are practicing it toward all the brothers in all of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to progress even more,

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain until the Lord's coming, will not possibly precede those who have fallen asleep.

Then we who are alive, who remain, will be snatched away at the same time together with them in the clouds for a meeting with the Lord in the air, and thus we will be together with the Lord always.

But you, brothers, are not in the darkness, so that the day should catch you like a thief,

for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

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

But [because] we are of the day, we must be sober, [by] putting on the breastplate of faith and love and [as] a helmet the hope of salvation,

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live at the same time with him.

Therefore encourage one another and build up {each other}, just as indeed you are doing.