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,

Finally, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you learned from us how you ought to walk and to please God, you do so more and more.

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

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

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

It is God's will that you be sanctified, that you abstain from fornication,

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

and that each of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor,

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

not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know 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,

In this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of his brother, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly warned you.

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

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live in holiness.

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

Therefore whoever rejects this command does not reject man but God, who has given 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,

Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

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 indeed you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do so more and 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,

We urge you to aspire to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, just as we commanded you,

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

so that you may walk properly toward outsiders and not be in need of anything.

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 we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not be grieved like others who do not have hope.

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

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 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,

According to the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive, who are left behind until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

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;

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise 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 alive, who are left behind, 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 so, then, comfort one another with these words.

Therefore encourage one another with these words.