1 Thessalonians 4 (ERV) (2024)

A Life That Pleases God

4Brothers and sisters, now I have some other things to tell you. We taught you how to live in a way that will please God. And you are living that way. Now we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live that way more and more. ²You know all that we told you to do by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³God wants you to be holy. He wants you to stay away from sexual sins. ⁴God wants each one of you to learn to control your own body. Use your body in a way that is holy and that gives honor to God.^{[a] 5}Don’t let your sexual desires control you like the people who don’t know God. ⁶Never wrong any of your fellow believers or cheat them in this way. The Lord will punish those who do that. We have already told you this and warned you about it. ⁷God chose us to be holy. He does not want us to live in sin. ⁸So anyone who refuses to obey this teaching is refusing to obey God, not us. And God is the one who gives you his Holy Spirit.

⁹We don’t need to write to you about having love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. God has already taught you to love each other. ¹⁰In fact, you love all the believers in Macedonia. We encourage you now, brothers and sisters, to show your love more and more.

¹¹Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Mind your own business, and earn your own living, as we told you before. ¹²If you do these things, then those who are not believers will respect the way you live. And you will not have to depend on others for what you need.

The Lord’s Coming

¹³Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about those who have died. We don’t want you to be sad like other people—those who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died, but we also believe that he rose again. So we believe that God will raise to life through Jesus any who have died and bring them together with him when he comes.

¹⁵What we tell you now is the Lord’s own message. Those of us who are still living when the Lord comes again will join him, but not before those who have already died. ¹⁶The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. And the people who have died and were in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that we who are still alive at that time will be gathered up with those who have died. We will be taken up in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸So encourage each other with these words.

A Life That Pleases God

4Brothers, now I have some other things to tell you. We taught you how to live in a way that will please God. And you are living that way. Now we ask you and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live that way more and more. ²You know what we told you to do by the authority of the Lord Jesus. ³God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual immorality. ⁴He wants each one of you to learn how to take a wife^[a] in a way that is holy and honorable. ⁵Don’t give in to lust like people who do not know God. ⁶So do not wrong your brother or cheat him in this way. The Lord will punish people who do those things. We have already told you and warned you about that. ⁷God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin. ⁸So the person who refuses to obey this teaching is refusing to obey God, not man. And God is the One who gives us his Holy Spirit.

⁹We do not need to write to you about having love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. God has already taught you to love each other. ¹⁰And truly you do love the brothers in all of Macedonia. Brothers, now we encourage you to love them more and more.

¹¹Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Take care of your own business. Do your own work. We have already told you to do these things. ¹²If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you. And you will not have to depend on others for what you need.

The Lord’s Coming

¹³Brothers, we want you to know about those who have died. We do not want you to be sad as others who have no hope. ¹⁴We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again. So, because of Jesus, God will bring together with Jesus those who have died. ¹⁵What we tell you now is the Lord’s own message. We who are living now may still be living when the Lord comes again. We who are living at that time will be with the Lord, but not before those who have already died. ¹⁶The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a loud command with the voice of the archangel^[b] and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died and were in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, those who are still alive at that time will be gathered up with them. We will be taken up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸So comfort each other with these words.

4Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

²For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

³For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

⁴That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

⁵Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

⁶That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

⁷For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

⁸He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

⁹But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

¹⁰And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

¹¹And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

¹²That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

¹³But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Plea for Purity

4Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^(A)that you should abound more and more, ^(B)just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ²for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is ^(C)the will of God, ^(D)your sanctification: ^(E)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ^4(F)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ^5(G)not in passion of lust, ^(H)like the Gentiles ^(I)who do not know God; ⁶that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^(J)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^(K)but in holiness. ^8(L)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^(M)who^[a] has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A Brotherly and Orderly Life

⁹But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for ^(N)you yourselves are taught by God ^(O)to love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^(P)that you increase more and more; ¹¹that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, ^(Q)to mind your own business, and ^(R)to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ^12(S)that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[b]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(T)as others ^(U)who have no hope. ¹⁴For ^(V)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(W)those who ^[c]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we say to you ^(X)by the word of the Lord, that ^(Y)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[d]asleep. ¹⁶For ^(Z)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(AA)the trumpet of God. ^(AB)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17(AC)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(AD)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(AE)we shall always be with the Lord. ^18(AF)Therefore comfort one another with these words.