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also when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, whether the tempter have tempted you, and lest our labour should be in vain. And just now, when Timothy came to us from you, and brought us good tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring to see us, as we also do to see you; wherefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our trouble and distress, by your faith; for now we live, since ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we return to God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy because of you before our God; night and day praying exceedingly to see your 10 face, and to finish what is wanting of your faith? And may our God and Father himself and our Lord 11 Jesus Christ guide our way to you; and may the Lord 12 make you increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you; unto the establishing your hearts unblameable in 13 holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

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Lastly then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as ye received from us how ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound yet more. For ye know what commands we gave you by the 2 Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your holiness; 3 that ye abstain from fornication; that each of you know how to possess his vessel in holiness and honour, not in 5 the passion of lust, as the Gentiles who know not God; that no one overreach and cheat his brother in this matter; for the Lord is the punisher for all these things, as we also forewarned you and bare witness. For God called us not to uncleanness, but in holiness. He therefore, s that scorneth, scorneth not man, but God, who hath given his holy spirit unto us.

And about brotherly love ye need not that I write to you; for ye yourselves are heaven-taught to love one another; for ye do it toward all the brethren in all 10 Macedonia. But we beseech you, brethren, to abound yet more; and to be ambitious to be quiet, and to do 11 your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; so that ye may walk becomingly 12 toward those without, and may have need of nothing.

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And we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about 13

them that are gone to rest, so that ye grieve not, even as 14 the others who have no hope. For if we believe that

Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who rest in 15 Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we, who remain alive till the coming of the Lord, shall not get before those that 16 are at rest. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will 17 rise first; then we who remain alive shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; 18 and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no 2 need that I write to you; for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the 3 night. When men say; 'Peace and safety;' then sudden

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destruction cometh on them, as pangs on a woman with 4 child; and they will not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, so that that day should overtake you as a thief. For ye are all sons of light, and sons of day; we 6 are not of night nor of darkness. So then, let us not 7 sleep as the others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep by night; and they that be drunken, are drunken by night; but let us, who are of day, be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and 9 as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not

appointed us to wrath, but to the earning of salvation 10 through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us; so that whether we wake or sleep we may live together with 11 him. Wherefore comfort one another, and build up each one the other, even as ye are doing.

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And we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and 13 admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brethren, warn the unruly, comfort

the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient towards 15 all. See that none return evil for evil to any one; but ever follow what is kind both one toward another, and 16 17 toward all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; 18 in every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in 19 20 Christ Jesus towards you; quench not the spirit; de

spise not prophesyings; and prove all things, hold to 21 what is good; abstain from every form of evil. And 22 23 may He, the God of peace, sanctify you wholly, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He 24 who calleth you,—and he will do it.

Brethren pray for us.

Greet all the brethren with a 25 26 holy kiss. I adjure you by the Lord that the epistle be 27 read to all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord 28 Jesus Christ be with you.

The Second Epistle of PAUL to the THESSA

LONIANS.

PAUL and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the

Thessalonians in God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ; grace be to you and peace from God our Father

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and our Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to thank God always for you, brethren, as is meet, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and troubles which ye endure; which is a token of the right- 5 eous judgment of God; so that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which also ye suffer. Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay trouble to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, at the revealing of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with the angels of his power, in a flame of fire, bringing punishment on them that know not God, and that obey not the Good Tidings of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will 9 suffer punishment, everlasting destruction from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, when he 10 shall come to be glorified among his saints, and to be admired among all the believers, (because our witness was believed among you,) in that day. For which also we 11 pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and may fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith, with power; so that the 12 name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Now we beseech you, brethren, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and for our gathering together unto 2 him, that ye be not hastily shaken from your mind, or troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as though the day of the Lord were at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means; for the falling off must first come, and then the Man of sin be laid bare, 4 the son of perdition, who is opposing and exalting himself against every one called god or to be worshipped, so that he sitteth down in the temple of God, shewing him5 self that he is a god. Remember ye not, that when I 6 was yet with you I told you these things? And now

ye know what hindereth, so that he may be laid bare 7 in his own time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only there is one now hindering until he be 8 taken out of the way. And then will the Wicked one be laid bare, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth, and will destroy with the appear9 ance of his coming. And his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and wonders 10 of falsehood, and with all deceit of unrighteousness among them that are perishing; because they received not the 11 love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this

will God send to them a working of deceit, so that they 12 shall believe the falsehood; that they may all be condemned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

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But we ought to thank God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation in holiness of spirit and belief of 14 truth; whereunto he called you by our Good Tidings, to 15 the earning the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand fast and hold the lessons that ye have 16 been taught, whether by our word or letter. And may

our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who loved us and gave us in grace comfort everlasting 17 and a good hope, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.

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Lastly, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord 2 may run and be glorified, even as with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for 3 all have not the faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will from evil. And we trust you

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in the Lord for you, that ye both are doing, and will do, what we command you. And may the Lord guide 5 your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.

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Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our 6 Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not according to the lesson that they received from us. For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us; for we were not disorderly amongst you, nor ate any man's bread for nought; but s with labour and toil we worked night and day, not to be a burden to any of you. Not because we have not power; but to make ourselves a pattern for you to imitate us. For even when we were with you, this we commanded 10

you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

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For we hear that there are some who walk among you ! disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. Now 12 such men we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness, and eat their own bread. But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. 13 And if any one obey not our word by this epistle, note 14 him, and keep not company with him, so that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy, but ad- 15 monish him as a brother. And may the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

The greeting of Paul with mine own hand, which is 17 the token in every epistle; thus I write. The grace 18 of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all; amen.

The First Epistle of PAUL to TIMOTHY. PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by command of God 1 our saviour, and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy 2 my true child in faith; grace, mercy, peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Abide still in Ephesus, as I besought thee when I went to Macedonia, that thou mayest charge certain persons not to teach other doctrines, nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than God's good government which is in faith.

Now the end of the command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned, from

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