I call on you solemnly in the Lord ¹  to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters. ² 

Now on the topic of brotherly love ¹  you have no need for anyone to write you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.

Now on the topic of times and seasons, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  you have no need for anything to be written to you.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that ¹  God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians. ² 

Now we do not want you to be uninformed, ¹  brothers and sisters, ²  about those who are asleep, ³  so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.

¹  although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became ²  little children ³  among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children,

but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we declare it, not to please people but God, who examines our hearts.

For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, ¹  that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep.

For from you the message of the Lord ¹  has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, ²  so that we do not need to say anything.

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

Always rejoice,

So ¹  in all our distress and affliction, we were reassured about you, brothers and sisters, ²  through your faith.

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.

In this way you will live ¹  a decent life before outsiders and not be in need. ² 

In this matter no one should violate the rights of his brother or take advantage of him, ¹  because the Lord is the avenger in all these cases, ²  as we also told you earlier and warned you solemnly.

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received ¹  the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction.

who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets ¹  and persecuted us severely. ²  They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people,

So ¹  when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter somehow tempted you and our toil had proven useless.

with such affection for you ¹  we were happy ²  to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

For you became imitators, brothers and sisters, ¹  of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews,