1 Thessalonians 4
1 For the rest, brethren, we request and exhort you, in our Lord Jesus, [that], even as ye received from us, how ye must needs walk and please God, —even as ye also do walk, that ye would abound still more.
Now, my fellow believers, [I want to write] about some other matters. Because we all have a close relationship with the Lord Jesus, we(exc) strongly urge you [DOU] to live in a way that pleases God. We taught you to do that, and you know that we lived that way as a result of what the Lord Jesus [told us]. We know that you are conducting your lives that way, but [we strongly urge] that you do that even more.
2 For ye know what charges we gave you, through the Lord Jesus.
3 For, this, is a thing willed of God, your sanctification, —that ye should abstain from unchastity,
God wants you to live pure lives that will show that you completely belong to him. He wants you to avoid doing any sexually immoral acts (OR, avoid being sexually immoral in any way).
4 That ye should know, each one of you, how, of his own vessel, to possess himself in sanctification and honour:
[That is, he wants] each one of you to know how to control your own sexual desires [EUP]. He wants you to live pure lives that all people will see as good.
5 Not with a passion of coveting, —just as even the nations who know not God, —
You must not lustfully desire [to do] immoral acts as unbelievers [MTY] [do] who do not obey God.
6 Not over-reaching and defrauding, in the matter, his brother; because, an avenger, is the Lord, concerning all these things, —even as we before told you, and solemnly called you to witness.
[God wants each one of you to control your sexual desires, in order that] no one of you sin against your fellow believer and take advantage of him or her by doing things like that. Remember that we strongly warned you previously [DOU] that the Lord [Jesus] will punish all [people who do] sexually immoral acts.
7 For God did not call us, with a permission of impurity, but, in sanctification.
When God chose us [believers], he did not want us to [be people who] behave in a sexually immoral way. On the contrary, [he wants us] to be [people who] behave in a morally pure way.
8 Therefore, indeed, he that disregardeth—it is, not a man, he disregardeth, but God, —Who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
So I warn you that those who disregard [this teaching] of mine [are] not just disregarding me. On the contrary, [they are disregarding] God, [because God commanded it. Remember that] God sent his Spirit, who is holy, [to live] in you!
9 But, concerning brotherly love—no need, have ye, that we be writing unto you; for, ye yourselves, are, God-taught, to the loving of one another; —
[I want to urge you] again [that you should] love [your] fellow believers [MET]. You do not really need that [anyone] write to you about that, because God has already taught you [how] to love each other,
10 And, in fact, ye are doing it unto all the brethren [who are] in the whole of Macedonia; but we exhort you, brethren, to abound still more,
and because you already are [showing that you love] your fellow believers [HYP] [who live] in other places [in your province] of Macedonia. Nevertheless, my fellow believers, we urge you to [love each other] even more.
11 And to be ambitious to be quiet, and to be attending to your own affairs, and to be working with your hands, —even as, unto you, we gave charge—
[We urge you] also to eagerly strive/try to mind your own affairs and to not meddle/interfere with the affairs of others. We urge you also to work at your own occupations/jobs [to earn what you need to live]. Remember that we taught you previously to live like that.
12 That ye should walk reputably toward those without, and, of no one, have, need.
If you do these things, unbelievers will acknowledge/see that you behave decently/properly, and you will not have to depend on others [to] ([supply/give to you]) [what you need].
13 But we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are falling asleep, —lest ye be sorrowing, even as the rest also, who are without hope;
My fellow believers, we also want you to understand well [LIT] [what will happen] to our fellow believers [who now] are dead [EUP]. [You must not be/do like] the unbelievers. They [grieve deeply for people who die because] they do not confidently expect [people to live again after they die].
14 For, if we believe that, Jesus, died, and rose again, so, also will, God, bring forth with him, them who have fallen asleep through Jesus;
We [believers] know that it is true that Jesus died and that he came back [to life] again. So [we also know well that] when Jesus returns, God [will cause] those [believers] who died [EUP] [to live again] and to come with [Jesus].
15 For, this, unto you, do we say, by a word of the Lord, —that, we, the living who are left unto the Presence of the Lord, shall in nowise get before them who have fallen asleep;
[I write this] because the Lord [Jesus] revealed [to me] what I am now telling you. [Some of you may think that] when the Lord [Jesus] comes back, he will consider that we [believers] who are still living will be superior to those [believers] who have died [EUP], because [we will meet Jesus first. That is certainly not true]!
16 Because, the Lord himself, with a word of command, with a chief-messenger’s voice, and with a trumpet of God, shall descend from heaven, —and, the dead in Christ, shall rise, first,
It is the Lord [Jesus] himself who will descend from heaven. [When he comes down, he] will command all of [us believers to rise from their graves]. The chief angel will shout [loudly], and [another angel] will blow a trumpet for God. Then (OR, As a result), the first thing that will happen is that the people who [trusted] in Christ before they died will live again.
17 After that, we, the living who are left, together with them, shall be caught away, in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: —and, thus, evermore, with the Lord, shall we be!
After that, [God] will powerfully take up into the clouds all of us [believers] who are still living [on this earth]. [He will take us] and those [other believers who have died], in order that [we all] might together meet/welcome the Lord [Jesus] in the sky. As a result of that, we [all] will be with him forever.
18 So then, be consoling one another with these words.
Because [all this is true], encourage/comfort each other by reminding each other of this teaching.
