I Thessalonians 4-5

I Thessalonians 4

¹And last of all, the prayer which we make to you from our heart and in the name of the Lord Jesus, is this: that as we made clear to you what sort of behaviour is pleasing to God, as in fact you are doing now, so you will go on in these ways, but more and more.

²Because you have in mind the orders we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For the purpose of God for you is this: that you may be holy, and may keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh;

⁴So that every one of you may keep his body holy and in honour;

⁵Not in the passion of evil desires, like the Gentiles, who have no knowledge of God;

⁶And that no man may make attempts to get the better of his brother in business: for the Lord is the judge in all these things, as we said to you before and gave witness.

⁷Because it is God's purpose that our way of life may be not unclean but holy.

⁸Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹But about loving the brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you in this letter: for you have the teaching of God that love for one another is right and necessary;

¹⁰And, truly, you are lovers of all the brothers in Macedonia; but it is our desire that your love may be increased still more;

¹¹And that you may take pride in being quiet and doing your business, working with your hands as we gave you orders;

¹²That you may be respected by those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

¹³But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.

¹⁴For if we have faith that Jesus underwent death and came back again, even so those who are sleeping will come again with him by God's power.

¹⁵For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping.

¹⁶Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;

¹⁷Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be for ever with the Lord.

¹⁸So then, give comfort to one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 5

¹But about the times and their order, my brothers, there is no need for me to say anything to you.

²For you yourselves have the knowledge that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

³When they say, There is peace and no danger, then sudden destruction will come on them, as birth-pains on a woman with child; and they will not be able to get away from it.

⁴But you, my brothers, are not in the dark, for that day to overtake you like a thief:

⁵For you are all sons of light and of the day: we are not of the night or of the dark.

⁶So then, let us not take our rest as the others do, but let us be self-controlled and awake.

⁷For those who are sleeping do so in the night; and those who are the worse for drink are so in the night;

⁸But let us, who are of the day, be serious, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and on our heads, the hope of salvation.

⁹For God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁰Who was put to death for us, so that, awake or sleeping, we may have a part in his life.

¹¹So then, go on comforting and building up one another, as you have been doing.

¹²But we make this request to you, my brothers: give attention to those who are working among you, who are over you in the Lord to keep order among you;

¹³And have a high opinion of them in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴And our desire is that you will keep control over those whose lives are not well ordered, giving comfort to the feeble-hearted, supporting those with little strength, and putting up with much from all.

¹⁵Let no one give evil for evil; but ever go after what is good, for one another and for all.

¹⁶Have joy at all times.

¹⁷Keep on with your prayers.

¹⁸In everything give praise: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.

¹⁹Do not put out the light of the Spirit;

²⁰Do not make little of the words of the prophets;

²¹Let all things be tested; keep to what is good;

²²Keep from every form of evil.

²³And may the God of peace himself make you holy in every way; and may your spirit and soul and body be free from all sin at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴God, by whom you have been marked out in his purpose, is unchanging and will make it complete.

²⁵Brothers, keep us in mind in your prayers.

²⁶Give all the brothers a holy kiss.

²⁷I give orders in the name of the Lord that all the brothers are to be present at the reading of this letter.

²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.