1 Thessalonians 4

1 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.

Further, Brothers, we beg and exhort you in the name of our Lord Jesus to carry out more fully than ever — as indeed you are already doing — all that you have heard from us as to what your daily life must be, if it is to please God.

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

For you have not forgotten the directions that we gave you on the authority of our Lord Jesus.

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

For this is God’s purpose — that you should be pure; abstaining from all immorality;

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

each of you recognising the duty of taking one woman for his wife, purely and honourably,

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

and not for the mere gratification of his passions, like the Gentiles who know nothing of God;

6 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.

none of you over-reaching or taking advantage of his Brother in such matters. ‘The Lord takes vengeance’ upon all who do such things, as we have already warned you and solemnly declared.

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

For God’s Call to us does not permit of an impure life, but demands purity.

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

Therefore he who disregards this warning disregards, not man, but God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

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

As to love for the Brethren there is no need to write to you; for you have yourselves been taught by God to love one another;

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

and indeed you do act in this spirit towards all the Brethren throughout Macedonia. Yet, Brothers, we urge you to still further efforts.

11 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,

Make it your ambition to live quietly, and to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, as we directed you;

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

so that your conduct may win respect from those outside the Church, and that you may not want for anything.

13 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.

We do not wish you to remain in ignorance, Brothers, with regard to those who have passed to their rest, that your grief may not be like that of others, who have no hope.

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

For, as we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring, with Jesus, those who through him have passed to their rest.

15 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.

This we tell you on the authority of the Lord — that those of us who are still living at the Coming of the Lord will not anticipate those who have passed to their rest.

16 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,

For, with a loud summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the trumpet-call of God, the Lord himself will come down from Heaven.

17 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.

Then those who died in union with Christ shall rise first; and afterwards we who are still living shall be caught up in the clouds, with them, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall be for ever with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Therefore, comfort one another with what I have told you.