If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Because of these [sinful] things the [divine] wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience [those who fail to listen and who routinely and obstinately disregard God’s precepts],

let there be no fraud among you, since you have discarded your former habits and practices, and are become new men,

a renewal in which there is no [distinction between] Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, [nor between nations whether] barbarian or Scythian, [nor in status whether] slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all [so believers are equal in Christ, without distinction].

So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper];

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

You who are husbands must love your wives and not be harsh to them.

Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:

Whatever you are doing, let your hearts be in your work, as a thing done for the Lord and not for men.

knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.

The man who perpetrates a wrong will find the wrong repaid to him; and with God there are no merely earthly distinctions.

You who are masters must treat your slaves justly and fairly, and remember that you have a Master too, in heaven.

Behave yourselves wisely towards them that are without,

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

let an air of modesty appear in all your discourse; and let it be seasoned with discretion, in making a proper reply, when you are call'd into question.

I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing and that he may encourage your hearts;

With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

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.

And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

Epaphras, who is one of you [See 1:7; 4:9], a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always struggles in his prayers on your behalf so that you will remain mature and be fully convinced [that you are living] by all that God wants [for your life].

For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

We give thanks to God always for all of you, continually mentioning you in our prayers;

We know, brothers loved by God, that you are chosen,

so that you are an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For they themselves are reporting concerning us what kind of reception we had among you, and how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God,

And [they tell how you are] waiting for His Son [to come] from heaven, the One He raised up from the dead --- this Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath [of God].

For you yourselves, brothers, are conscious that our coming among you was not without effect:

But as God tested and approved us before entrusting us with His Good News, so in what we say we are seeking not to please men but to please God, who tests and approves our motives.

For, as you are well aware, we have never used the language of flattery nor have we found pretexts for enriching ourselves--God is our witness;

so being desirous of you, we are well-pleased to impart to you not only the good news of God, but also our own souls, because beloved ye have become to us,

Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

even as ye have known, how each one of you, as a father his own children, we are exhorting you, and comforting, and testifying,

And, for this cause, we, are also giving thanks unto God unceasingly, that, when ye received a spoken word from us - which was God's, ye welcomed it - not as a human word, but, even as it truly is, a divine word, - which is also inwardly working itself in you who believe.

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. As a result, they are always completing the number of their sins, and wrath has overtaken them at last.

Forasmuch, brethren, as we are kept from you for a season, as concerning the bodily presence - but not in the heart - we enforced the more to see you personally with great desire,

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

For ye are our glory and joy.

That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

For verily, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

But now that Timothy has come back to us from [his visit with] you, and has brought us good news of your [steadfast] faith and [the warmth of your] love, and [reported] that you always think kindly of us and treasure your memories of us, longing to see us just as we long to see you,

for this reason we are comforted concerning you, brethren, in all our distress and affliction, by your faith:

For now life is for us life indeed, since you are standing fast in the Lord.

for what thanks are we able to recompense to God for you, for all the joy with which we do joy because of you in the presence of our God?

Night and day, making very abundant entreaties, that we may see your face, and fit in the things which are lacking in your faith?

And for you, may the Lord fill you to overflowing with love for one another and for every one, just as we are filled with love for you;

so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Finally, believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the instruction that you received from us about how you ought to walk and please God (just as you are actually doing) and that you excel even more and more [pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation].

For you know [i.e., are aware of] the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

not [to be used] in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God and are ignorant of His will;

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.

But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

who died [willingly] for us, so that whether we are awake (alive) or asleep (dead) [at Christ’s appearing], we will live together with Him [sharing eternal life].

Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake, and be at peace among yourselves.

Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

I give orders in the name of the Lord that all the brothers are to be present at the reading of this letter.

Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. Unto the congregation of the Thessalonians, which are in God our father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

so that we ourselves make our boast in you in the assemblies of God for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations, which ye are sustaining;

This is a positive proof of the righteous judgment of God [a sign of His fair verdict], so that you will be considered worthy of His kingdom, for which indeed you are suffering.

since [it is] righteous in the sight of God to pay back those who are afflicting you with affliction,

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

For this reason, you are ever in our prayers, that you may seem to our God such as may have a part in his purpose and that by his power he will make all his good purpose, and the work of faith, complete;

and by unlimited seduction to evil and with all the deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not welcome the love of the truth [of the gospel] so as to be saved [they were spiritually blind, and rejected the truth that would have saved them].

so that they all should be condemned, who are faithless to the truth, but take pleasure in evil.

But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do the things [which] we command.

For you yourselves are used to taking us as your example, because our life among you was ruled by order,

For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

You are not to treat him as an enemy, but to put him under discipline, as a brother.

These words of love to you at the end are in my writing, Paul's writing, and this is the mark of every letter from me.

As I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain individuals not to teach any different doctrines,

neither give heed to fables and genealogies, which are endless, and breed doubts, more than Godly edifying which is by faith:

From which some, having missed the mark, are turned aside to vain jangling:

wanting to be teachers of the Law [of Moses], even though they do not understand the terms they use or the subjects about which they make [such] confident declarations.

We are conscious that the law is good, if a man makes a right use of it,

understanding the fact that law is not enacted for the righteous person [the one in right standing with God], but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinful, for the irreverent and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,

The grace of our Lord [His amazing, unmerited favor and blessing] flowed out in superabundance [for me, together] with the faith and love which are [realized] in Christ Jesus.

But because of this I was shown mercy, in order that in me foremost, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his total patience, for an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life.

These are the instructions that I intrust to you, my son Timothy, and they are in accordance with the predictions made long ago about you. Fight the good fight with their aid,

holding faith and a good conscience, which some having thrust from them, as it respects faith have made shipwreck; of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander,