THE FIRST EPISTLE
OF
PAUL THE APOSTLE
TO THE
THESSALONIANS
1 Thessalonians 4 ©
1 The apostle further exhorts them in general to a godly conduct and in special to chastity and honesty. 6 Unto justice in their dealing. 9 To brotherly love. 11 To a quiet life, and meddling of their own things. 13 He exhorts them also to moderate their sorrow for those who are fallen asleep. 14 Seeing they shall be raised again by Christ. 15 Who shall come from heaven with a great shout and voice of the archangel, first to raise up them, who are dead, from the dead. 17 And afterward to take them up unto Him, with the rest who shall then be yet alive.
FURTHERMORE1 then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you 2by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have 3received of us howa ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
For ye know 4what commandments we gave you 5by the Lord Jesus.
Forb this is 6the will of God, even your 7sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
That every one of you should know how to possess 8his vessel in sanctification and 9honour;
Not in the 10lust of concupiscence,c even as the Gentiles whichd11know not God:
That no man go 12beyond and 13defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
For God hath not called us unto 14uncleanness, bute unto holiness.
Hef therefore that 15despiseth, despiseth 16not man, but God, whog hath also given 17unto us his holy Spirit.
Buth as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught 18of God to love one another.
And indeed 19ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
Andi that 20ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, andj to work 21with your own hands, as we commanded you;
That ye may walk 22honestly toward them 23that are without, and that ye may have 24lack of nothing.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them 25which are asleep, thatk ye sorrow not, 26even as others 27which have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep 28in Jesus will God 29bring 30with him.
For this we say unto you 31by the word of the Lord, thatl32we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not 33preventm them which are asleep.
Forn the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with 34a shout, with 35the voice 36of the archangel, and with the trumpo of God: and the dead 37in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be 38caught up together with them 39in the clouds, to meet the Lord 40in the air: and so shall we ever be 41with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another 42with these words.