1 Thessalonians 4

1 Further, Brothers, we beg and exhort you in the name of our Lord Jesus to carry out more fully than ever — as indeed you are already doing — all that you have heard from us as to what your daily life must be, if it is to please God.

As to what remains therefore, my brethren, we intreat and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received instructions from us, how ye ought to walk and to please God, ye would abound therein more and more.

2 For you have not forgotten the directions that we gave you on the authority of our Lord Jesus.

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

3 For this is God’s purpose — that you should be pure; abstaining from all immorality;

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

4 each of you recognising the duty of taking one woman for his wife, purely and honourably,

and that every one of you should possess his vessel in sanctification and honor,

5 and not for the mere gratification of his passions, like the Gentiles who know nothing of God;

not in the passion of lust, like the heathens who know not God.

6 none of you over-reaching or taking advantage of his Brother in such matters. ‘The Lord takes vengeance’ upon all who do such things, as we have already warned you and solemnly declared.

That no one over-reach, or wrong his brother in any thing: because the Lord is an avenger of all such crimes, as we also told you before, and testified to you.

7 For God’s Call to us does not permit of an impure life, but demands purity.

For God hath not called us to impurity, but to holiness.

8 Therefore he who disregards this warning disregards, not man, but God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

He therefore who rejecteth us, rejecteth not man, but God; who hath given us his holy Spirit.

9 As to love for the Brethren there is no need to write to you; for you have yourselves been taught by God to love one another;

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

10 and indeed you do act in this spirit towards all the Brethren throughout Macedonia. Yet, Brothers, we urge you to still further efforts.

And indeed ye do it to all the brethren, that are in all Macedonia; but we exhort you, brethren, to abound in it more and more:

11 Make it your ambition to live quietly, and to attend to your own business, and to work with your hands, as we directed you;

and endeavour to be quiet, and mind your own affairs, and work with your own hands,

12 so that your conduct may win respect from those outside the Church, and that you may not want for anything.

as we gave you in charge, that ye may walk decently toward those that are without, and may have need of no one's assistance.

13 We do not wish you to remain in ignorance, Brothers, with regard to those who have passed to their rest, that your grief may not be like that of others, who have no hope.

But I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, concerning those that are fallen asleep, that ye may not be grieved like others who have no hope:

14 For, as we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring, with Jesus, those who through him have passed to their rest.

for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also those, that sleep in Jesus, will God bring with Him.

15 This we tell you on the authority of the Lord — that those of us who are still living at the Coming of the Lord will not anticipate those who have passed to their rest.

For this we tell you in the word of the Lord, that we who shall be living and remain to the coming of the Lord, shall not be before those that are asleep.

16 For, with a loud summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the trumpet-call of God, the Lord himself will come down from Heaven.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with acclamation, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

17 Then those who died in union with Christ shall rise first; and afterwards we who are still living shall be caught up in the clouds, with them, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall be for ever with the Lord.

then we who are living and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we for ever be with the Lord.

18 Therefore, comfort one another with what I have told you.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.