1 Thessalonians 4

1 As to the rest, then, brothers, we request, and call on you in the Lord Jesus, as you received from us how it is necessary for you to walk and to please God, that you may abound the more,

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.

2 for you have known what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus;

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

3 for this is the will of God—your sanctification: that you abstain from the whoredom,

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

4 that each of you know to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

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

5 not in the affection of desire, as also the nations that were not knowing God,

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

6 that no one goes beyond and defrauds his brother in the matter, because the LORD [is] an avenger of all these, as we also spoke to you before and testified,

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.

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

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

8 He, therefore, who is despising, does not despise man, but God, who also gave His Holy Spirit to us.

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

9 And concerning the brotherly love, you have no need of [my] writing to you, for you yourselves are God-taught to love one another,

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;

10 for you do it also to all the brothers who [are] in all Macedonia; and we call on you, brothers, to abound still more,

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

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

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

12 that you may walk properly to those outside, and may have lack of nothing.

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

13 And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you may not sorrow, as also the rest who have no hope,

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.

14 for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God will bring with Him those asleep through Jesus,

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.

15 for we say this to you in the word of the LORD, that we who are living—who remain over to the coming of the LORD—may not precede those asleep,

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.

16 because the LORD Himself, with a shout, with the voice of a chief-messenger, and with the trumpet of God, will come down from Heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first;

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;

17 then we who are living, who are remaining over, will be snatched up together with them in [the] clouds to meet the LORD in [the] air, and so we will always be with the LORD;

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.

18 so, then, comfort one another with these words.

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