‏ 1 Thessalonians 4

Sanctification and Love

1 aFinally then, bbrothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to
Or conduct yourselves
dwalk and eplease God (just as you actually do
Or conduct yourselves
walk), that you gexcel even more.
2For you know what instructions we gave you
Lit through the Lord
by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you iabstain from sexual immorality; 4that jeach of you know how to
Or acquire
possess his own
I.e., body; or wife
mvessel in sanctification and nhonor,
5not in
Lit passion of lust
plustful passion, like the Gentiles who qdo not know God;
6and that no one violate the rights and rtake advantage of his brother or sister sin the matter, because tthe Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also utold you previously and solemnly warned you. 7For vGod has not called us for
I.e., moral corruption
ximpurity, but in sanctification.
8Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who ygives His Holy Spirit to you.

9 Now as to the zlove of the brothers and sisters, you aahave no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are abtaught by God to love one another; 10for indeed acyou practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to adexcel even more, 11and to make it your ambition aeto lead a quiet life and afattend to your own business and agwork with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12so that you will
Lit walk
aibehave properly toward ajoutsiders and
Lit have need of nothing
alnot be in any need.

Those Who Died in Christ

13 But amwe do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who
I.e., have died
aoare asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed apthe rest of mankind do, who have aqno hope.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, arso also God will bring with Him asthose who have fallen asleep
I.e., as believers
through Jesus.
15For we say this to you auby the word of the Lord, that avwe who are alive
Lit who
and remain until axthe coming of the Lord will not precede aythose who have fallen asleep.
16For the Lord azHimself bawill descend from heaven with a
Or cry of command
bcshout, with the voice of bdthe archangel and with the betrumpet of God, and bfthe dead in Christ will rise first.
17Then bgwe who are alive, who remain, will be bhcaught up together with them biin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always bjbe with the Lord. 18Therefore,
Or encourage
comfort one another with these words.
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