1 Thessalonians 4

1 Finally then, brothers, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you received from us how you must walk and please God — just as you are indeed walking — you overflow still more. 2 For you know what charges we gave you through the Lord Jesus. [a]

3 For this is God’s will, your holiness: that you keep away from sexual immorality; [b] 4 that each of you know how to get his own vessel in holiness and honor, [c] 5 not in passion of desire, like the nations also that do not know God; [d] 6 that no one overstep and take advantage of his brother in the matter, because the Lord is an avenger concerning all these things, just as we also told you beforehand and testified. [e] 7 For God did not call us for uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 So then, the one who rejects rejects not a man but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit into you. [f]

9 Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; [g] 10 for indeed you are doing it toward all the brothers in the whole of Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to overflow still more, 11 and to count it your honor to be quiet and to mind your own affairs and to work with your hands, just as we charged you, [h] 12 so that you may walk decently toward those outside and have need of nothing.

13 But we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, concerning those who are falling asleep, so that you may not grieve as the rest also do, who have no hope. [i] 14 For if we trust that Jesus died and rose, so also God will bring those who have fallen asleep through Jesus with him. [j] 15 For this we tell you by a word of the Lord: that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not get ahead of those who have fallen asleep; [k] 16 because the Lord himself, with a shouted command, with a chief messenger’s voice and with God’s trumpet, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first; [l] † 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air — and so we will always be with the Lord. [m] 18 So comfort one another with these words. [n]