1 Thessalonians 4

English Standard Version

A Life Pleasing to God

4 Finally, then, brothers,^[a] we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you ^(A)received from us ^(B)how you ought to walk and ^(C)to please God, just as you are doing, that you ^(D)do so more and more. ² For ^(E)you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God, ^(F)your sanctification:^{[b] (G)}that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own ^(H)body^[c] in holiness and ^(I)honor, ⁵ not in ^(J)the passion of lust ^(K)like the Gentiles ^(L)who do not know God; ⁶ that no one transgress and ^(M)wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is ^(N)an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For ^(O)God has not called us for ^(P)impurity, but in holiness. ⁸ Therefore ^(Q)whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, ^(R)who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ Now concerning ^(S)brotherly love ^(T)you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been ^(U)taught by God ^(V)to love one another, ¹⁰ for that indeed is what ^(W)you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to ^(X)do this more and more, ¹¹ and to aspire ^(Y)to live quietly, and ^(Z)to mind your own affairs, and ^(AA)to work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹² so that you may ^(AB)walk properly before ^(AC)outsiders and be dependent on no one.

The Coming of the Lord

¹³ But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, ^(AD)that you may not grieve as others do ^(AE)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(AF)since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^(AG)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵ For this we declare to you ^(AH)by a word from the Lord,^[d] that ^(AI)we who are alive, who are left until ^(AJ)the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(AK)the Lord himself will descend ^(AL)from heaven ^(AM)with a cry of command, with the voice of ^(AN)an archangel, and ^(AO)with the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^(AP)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^(AQ)caught up together with them ^(AR)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^(AS)we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.