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.

Moreover, brethren, as you learnt from our lips the lives which you ought to live, and do live, so as to please God, we beg and exhort you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live them more and more truly.

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

For you know the commands which we laid upon you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

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

For this is God's will--your purity of life, that you abstain from fornication;

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

that each man among you shall know how to procure a wife who shall be his own in purity and honour;

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

that you be not overmastered by lustful cravings, like the Gentiles who have no knowledge 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.

and that in this matter there be no encroaching on the rights of a brother Christian and no overreaching him. For the Lord is an avenger in all such cases, as we have already taught you and solemnly warned you.

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

God has not called us to an unclean life, but to one of purity.

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

Therefore a defiant spirit in such a case provokes not man but God, who puts His Holy Spirit into your hearts.

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,

But on the subject of love for the brotherhood it is unnecessary for me to write to you, for you yourselves have 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 love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. And we exhort you to do so more and more,

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,

and to vie with one another in eagerness for peace, every one minding his own business and working with his hands, as we ordered you to do:

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

so as to live worthy lives in relation to outsiders, and not be a burden to any one.

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.

Now, concerning those who from time to time pass away, we would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, lest you should mourn as others do 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 if we believe that Jesus has died and risen again, we also believe that, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who shall have passed away.

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.

For this we declare to you on the Lord's own authority--that we who are alive and continue on earth until the Coming of the Lord, shall certainly not forestall those who shall have previously passed away.

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 the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a loud word of command, and with an archangel's voice and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

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.

Afterwards we who are alive and are still on earth will be caught up in their company amid clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

And so we shall be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.