1 Thessalonians 4

1 As to the rest, then, brethren, we request you, and call upon you in the Lord Jesus, as ye did receive from us how it behoveth you to walk and to please God, that ye may abound the more,

A few more things: Brothers and sisters, we plead with you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to behave in ways that please God, just as we instructed you. Of course you're already doing this, just do it more and more!

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

You remember the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus.

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

What God wants is for you to live holy lives. So stay away from sexual immorality

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

in order that each of you may control yourselves in a way that is holy and respectful,

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

not indulging passionate lust like the heathen who have no knowledge of God.

6 that no one go beyond and defraud in the matter his brother, because an avenger [is] the Lord of all these, as also we spake before to you and testified,

Don't cheat or take advantage of another Christian in these matters, for the Lord is the one who executes justice in all such things, as we've already clearly explained to you, and warned you about.

7 for God did not call us on uncleanness, but in sanctification;

For God did not call us to live impure lives, but holy lives.

8 he, therefore, who is despising — doth not despise man, but God, who also did give His Holy Spirit to us.

So anyone who rejects this position isn't just rejecting what a human being is saying; they are rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

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

We certainly don't need to write and tell you to love fellow believers, because God teaches you to love one another—

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

and in fact you are demonstrating this love to all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so we want to encourage you, brothers and sisters, to love 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 did command you,

Try to live a quiet life, minding your own business, doing your own work, as we've already explained to you,

12 that ye may walk becomingly unto those without, and may have lack of nothing.

so that your way of life may be respected by non-Christians and you won't have to rely on anyone to provide what you need.

13 And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that ye may not sorrow, as also the rest who have not hope,

We don't want you to be confused about what happens when people die, brothers and sisters, so that you won't grieve like others who don't have any hope.

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

Since we're convinced that Jesus died and rose again, we're also sure that God will bring with Jesus those who have died trusting in him.

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

What we're telling you comes from the Lord: those of us who are alive and still here when the Lord comes certainly won't precede those who have died.

16 because the Lord himself, in a shout, in the voice of a chief-messenger, and in the trump of God, shall come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ shall rise first,

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the cry of the archangel, and with the sound of God's trumpet, and those who have died in Christ will rise first.

17 then we who are living, who are remaining over, together with them shall be caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in air, and so always with the Lord we shall be;

Then those of us who are alive and still here will be carried up together with them into the clouds, and we shall meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever!

18 so, then, comfort ye one another in these words.

So encourage one another with these words.