| Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. | Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. |
| Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. | So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. |
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| Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. | God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. |
| Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. | But test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. |
| See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. | See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. |
| And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you. | And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. |
| For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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. | For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. |
| For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. | For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. |
| Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. | So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. |
| For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God. | God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. |
