Προς Θεσσαλονικεις Α΄ 4

1 Λοιπὸν οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ (ἵνα *NO*) καθὼς παρελάβετε παρ᾽ ἡμῶν τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ (καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε, *NO*) ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον·

Finally then, brothers, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus: as you received from us how you ought to behave and please God, do so even more

2 οἴδατε γὰρ τίνας παραγγελίας ἐδώκαμεν ὑμῖν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ.

—you know what instructions we gave you through Sovereign Jesus.

3 τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν, ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας·

Now this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you stay away from fornication;

4 εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ,

that each of you know how to gain possession of his own ‘vessel’ in sanctification and honor,

5 μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας καθάπερ καὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν·

not in lustful passion (like the heathen who do not know God);

6 τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· διότι ἔκδικος (ὁ *k*) κύριος περὶ πάντων τούτων καθὼς καὶ προείπαμεν ὑμῖν καὶ διεμαρτυράμεθα.

that no one trespass and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such behavior, as, indeed, we have already told you and warned you.

7 οὐ γὰρ ἐκάλεσεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ἁγιασμῷ.

Because God did not call us for uncleanness, but by holiness.

8 τοιγαροῦν ὁ ἀθετῶν οὐκ ἄνθρωπον ἀθετεῖ ἀλλὰ τὸν θεὸν τὸν καὶ (διδόντα *N(k)O*) τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον εἰς (ὑμᾶς. *N(K)O*)

So then, the rejecter is not rejecting man, but God, the very One who gave you His Holy Spirit.

9 Περὶ δὲ τῆς φιλαδελφίας οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε γράφειν ὑμῖν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε εἰς τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ἀλλήλους·

Now about brotherly love you do not need to be written to, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another,

10 καὶ γὰρ ποιεῖτε αὐτὸ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ. Παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, περισσεύειν μᾶλλον

because in fact you are doing so toward all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Still, we exhort you to do even more, brothers,

11 καὶ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζειν καὶ πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶν ὑμῶν καθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγγείλαμεν·

to make it a point to be peaceable and to mind your own business, to work with your hands (as we instructed you),

12 ἵνα περιπατῆτε εὐσχημόνως πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω καὶ μηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε.

so that outsiders may be well impressed by your life style, and that you may have no lack.

13 Οὐ (θέλομεν *N(K)O*) δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, περὶ τῶν (κοιμωμένων, *N(k)O*) ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε καθὼς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα.

Now then, brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who have ‘fallen asleep’, so that you do not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.

14 εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ.

Because since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, just so will God bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.

15 Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ κυρίου οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας·

For this we say to you by a word of the Lord, that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will absolutely not precede those who have fallen asleep;

16 ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι θεοῦ καταβήσεται ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον,

because the Lord Himself—with a commanding shout, with the archangel's voice and with God's trumpet—will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first;

17 ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ περιλειπόμενοι ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα· καὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα.

then we who are still alive, who are left, will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In precisely this way we will always be with the Lord.

18 Ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις.

So then, comfort one another with these words.