1 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 Because you have in mind the orders we gave you through the Lord Jesus.3 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 So that every one of you may keep his body holy and in honour;5 Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;6 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 Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.8 Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.9 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, truly, you are lovers of all the brothers in Macedonia; but it is our desire that your love may be increased still more;11 And that you may take pride in being quiet and doing your business, working with your hands as we gave you orders;12 That you may be respected by those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.13 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 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 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 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 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 So then, give comfort to one another with these words.

1 De cetero ergo, fratres, rogamus vos et obsecramus in Domino Jesu, ut quemadmodum accepistis a nobis quomodo oporteat vos ambulare, et placere Deo, sic et ambuletis ut abundetis magis. 2 Scitis enim qu prcepta dederim vobis per Dominum Jesum. 3 Hc est enim voluntas Dei, sanctificatio vestra : ut abstineatis vos a fornicatione, 4 ut sciat unusquisque vestrum vas suum possidere in sanctificatione, et honore : 5 non in passione desiderii, sicut et gentes, qu ignorant Deum : 6 et ne quis supergrediatur, neque circumveniat in negotio fratrem suum : quoniam vindex est Dominus de his omnibus, sicut prdiximus vobis, et testificati sumus. 7 Non enim vocavit nos Deus in immunditiam, sed in sanctificationem. 8 Itaque qui hc spernit, non hominem spernit, sed Deum : qui etiam dedit Spiritum suum Sanctum in nobis. 9 De caritate autem fraternitatis non necesse habemus scribere vobis : ipsi enim vos a Deo didicistis ut diligatis invicem. 10 Etenim illud facitis in omnes fratres in universa Macedonia. Rogamus autem vos, fratres, ut abundetis magis, 11 et opera detis ut quieti sitis, et ut vestrum negotium agatis, et operemini manibus vestris, sicut prcepimus vobis : 12 et ut honeste ambuletis ad eos qui foris sunt : et nullius aliquid desideretis. 13 Nolumus autem vos ignorare fratres de dormientibus, ut non contristemini sicut et ceteri, qui spem non habent.14 Si enim credimus quod Jesus mortuus est, et resurrexit : ita et Deus eos qui dormierunt per Jesum, adducet cum eo. 15 Hoc enim vobis dicimus in verbo Domini, quia nos, qui vivimus, qui residui sumus in adventum Domini, non prveniemus eos qui dormierunt. 16 Quoniam ipse Dominus in jussu, et in voce archangeli, et in tuba Dei descendet de clo : et mortui, qui in Christo sunt, resurgent primi. 17 Deinde nos, qui vivimus, qui relinquimur, simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Christo in ara, et sic semper cum Domino erimus. 18 Itaque consolamini invicem in verbis istis.