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 encourage and exhort you in the Lord Jesus. As you received instructions from us about how you must walk and please God, also in this way walk, so that you do so even more.

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

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

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

For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you avoid sexual immorality,

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

that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor,

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

not in the passion of lust (as 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,

Let no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we forewarned you and testified.

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

For God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness.

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

Therefore, he who rejects this rejects not people, 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,

Regarding brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are 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,

Indeed, you do this for all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, to do this even 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 also exhort you to aspire to live quietly, take care of your own responsibilities, and work with your 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 before outsiders and not be in any need.

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,

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who sleep, so that you do not grieve like the rest 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 if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so 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,

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left at the coming of the Lord, will surely not go before 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. He will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet 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, will together with them be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord.

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

Therefore, comfort one another with these words.