1Th 4 | NASB2020 | STEP | Finally then , brothers and sisters, we request and urge you in the Lord Jesus , that as you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk ), that you excel even more .

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. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you ^{▼▼Lit through the Lord}by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you ⁱabstain from sexual immorality; 4 that ^jeach of you know how to ^{▼▼Or acquire}possess his own ^{▼▼I.e., body; or wife
,} ^mvessel in sanctification and ⁿhonor, 5 not in ^{▼▼Lit passion of lust
,} ^plustful passion, like the Gentiles who ^qdo not know God; 6 and 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. 7 For ^vGod has not called us for ^{▼▼I.e., moral corruption
,} ^ximpurity, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore, 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; 10 for 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, 11 and 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, 12 so 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. 14 For 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. 15 For 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. 16 For 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. 17 Then ^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. 18 Therefore, ^{▼▼Or encourage}comfort one another with these words.