11-12 Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.

The Master’s Coming

13-14 And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

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12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders(A) and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Believers Who Have Died

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed(B) about those who sleep in death,(C) so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.(D) 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again,(E) and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.(F)

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