1 Thessalonians 4

1 A few more things: Brothers and sisters, we plead with you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to behave in ways that please God, just as we instructed you. Of course you're already doing this, just do it more and more!

Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more.

2 You remember the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 What God wants is for you to live holy lives. So stay away from sexual immorality

For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality,

4 in order that each of you may control yourselves in a way that is holy and respectful,

that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honour,

5 not indulging passionate lust like the heathen who have no knowledge of God.

not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God,

6 Don't cheat or take advantage of another Christian in these matters, for the Lord is the one who executes justice in all such things, as we've already clearly explained to you, and warned you about.

that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified.

7 For God did not call us to live impure lives, but holy lives.

For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.

8 So anyone who rejects this position isn't just rejecting what a human being is saying; they are rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

9 We certainly don't need to write and tell you to love fellow believers, because God teaches you to love one another—

But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

10 and in fact you are demonstrating this love to all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so we want to encourage you, brothers and sisters, to love more and more.

for indeed you do it towards all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more;

11 Try to live a quiet life, minding your own business, doing your own work, as we've already explained to you,

and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you,

12 so that your way of life may be respected by non-Christians and you won't have to rely on anyone to provide what you need.

that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

13 We don't want you to be confused about what happens when people die, brothers and sisters, so that you won't grieve like others who don't have any hope.

But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

14 Since we're convinced that Jesus died and rose again, we're also sure that God will bring with Jesus those who have died trusting in him.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 What we're telling you comes from the Lord: those of us who are alive and still here when the Lord comes certainly won't precede those who have died.

For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the cry of the archangel, and with the sound of God's trumpet, and those who have died in Christ will rise first.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,

17 Then those of us who are alive and still here will be carried up together with them into the clouds, and we shall meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever!

then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

18 So encourage one another with these words.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.