1 Thessalonians 4

1 And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort [you] by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, [ so] ye would abound more and more.

2 Because you have in mind the orders we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

3 For the purpose of God for you is this: that you may be holy, and may keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh;

For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4 So that every one of you may keep his body holy and in honour;

That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

5 Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;

Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

6 And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.

That no [man] go beyond and defraud his brother in [any] matter: because that the Lord [is] the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

7 Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.

For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

8 Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

9 But about loving the brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you in this letter: for you have the teaching of God that love for one another is right and necessary;

But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

10 And, truly, you are lovers of all the brothers in Macedonia; but it is our desire that your love may be increased still more;

And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

11 And that you may take pride in being quiet and doing your business, working with your hands as we gave you orders;

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That you may be respected by those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.

13 But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be for ever with the Lord.

Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 So then, give comfort to one another with these words.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.