Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.

As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children,

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.

As a result you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

In this way you will live a decent life before outsiders and not be in need.

although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children,

For we never appeared with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness –

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night.

But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.

exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory.

to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, as we commanded you.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Now when they are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape.

But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters, for a short time (in presence, not in affection) we became all the more fervent in our great desire to see you in person.

For you recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery: By working night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.

And so we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message, but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe.

For people everywhere report how you welcomed us and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God

For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, about our coming to you – it has not proven to be purposeless.

nor to seek glory from people, either from you or from others,

For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.