1 Thessalonians 4

1 And furthermore we beseeche you, brethren, and exhort you in the Lord Iesus, that ye increase more and more, as ye haue receiued of vs, how ye ought to walke, and to please God.

Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more.

2 For ye knowe what commandements we gaue you by the Lord Iesus.

For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is the will of God euen your sanctification, and that ye should abstaine from fornication,

For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality;

4 That euery one of you should know, how to possesse his vessell in holines and honour,

each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

5 And not in the lust of concupiscence, euen as the Gentiles which know not God:

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;

6 That no man oppresse or defraude his brother in any matter: for the Lord is auenger of all such thinges, as we also haue tolde you before time, and testified.

and no one should ever violate or exploit his brother in this regard, because the Lord will avenge all such acts, as we have already told you and solemnly warned you.

7 For God hath not called vs vnto vncleannesse, but vnto holinesse.

For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

8 Hee therefore that despiseth these thinges, despiseth not man, but God who hath euen giuen you his holy Spirit.

Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

9 But as touching brotherly loue, ye neede not that I write vnto you: for ye are taught of God to loue one another.

Now about brotherly love, you do not need anyone to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

10 Yea, and that thing verily yee doe vnto all the brethren, which are throughout all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more,

And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more

11 And that ye studie to be quiet, and to meddle with your owne busines, and to worke with your owne handes, as we commanded you,

and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

12 That yee may behaue your selues honestly towarde them that are without, and that nothing be lacking vnto you.

Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

13 I would not, brethren, haue you ignorant concerning them which are a sleepe, that ye sorow not euen as other which haue no hope.

Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

14 For if we beleeue that Iesus is dead, and is risen, euen so them which sleepe in Iesus, will God bring with him.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15 For this say we vnto you by the worde of the Lord, that we which liue, and are remayning in the comming of the Lord, shall not preuent them which sleepe.

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himselfe shall descende from heauen with a shoute, and with the voyce of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.

17 Then shall we which liue and remaine, be caught vp with them also in the clouds, to meete the Lord in the ayre: and so shall we euer be with the Lord.

After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore, comfort your selues one another with these wordes.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.