New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more.
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And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
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Because you have in mind the orders we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication;
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For the purpose of God for you is this: that you may be holy, and may keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh;
4 that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor,
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So that every one of you may keep his body holy and in honour;
5 not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
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Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;
6 that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
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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.
7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.
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Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.
8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
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Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;
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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;
10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more,
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And, truly, you are lovers of all the brothers in Macedonia; but it is our desire that your love may be increased still more;
11 to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you,
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And that you may take pride in being quiet and doing your business, working with your hands as we gave you orders;
12 so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.
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That you may be respected by those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
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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.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.
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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.
15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.
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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.
16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.
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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.
18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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So then, give comfort to one another with these words.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.