1 Thessalonians 4

1 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.

Finally therefore, brethren, we pray you and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how it behooves you to walk about and to please God, as you do indeed walk about, in order that you may abound more and more.

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

For you know what promises we gave unto you through our Lord Jesus.

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

For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication;

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

that each one of you know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,

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

not in the passion of lust, as indeed the Gentiles who do not know God;

6 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.

that one should overreach and defraud his brother in a business transaction: because the Lord is the avenger concerning these things, as we indeed before told you and witnessed to you.

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

For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in sanctification.

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

Therefore the one rejecting (sanctification), does not reject man, but God, who indeed gives to you his Holy Spirit.

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

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I write to you: for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another with divine love;

10 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;

for you indeed are doing the same thing unto all the brethren in all Macedonia. And we exhort you, brethren, that you abound more and more;

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

and that you aspire to be quiet, and to prosecute your own employments, and work with your hands, as we proclaimed unto you;

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

in order that you may walk about circumspectly toward the aliens, and you may have need of nothing.

13 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.

For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep; in order that you may not sorrow, even as those having no hope.

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

For if we believe that Jesus died and is risen, so also will God bring with him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 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.

For we speak this to you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left unto the coming of the Lord, can not anticipate those who are asleep,

16 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:

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

17 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.

then we who are alive, who are left, will at the same time along with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be always with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

So comfort one another with these words.