1 Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in sanctification and honour, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, 6 that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you. 9 But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10 for indeed you do it towards all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; 11 and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you, 12 that you may walk properly towards those who are outside, and may have need of nothing. 13 But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
1 Thessalonians 4 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Colossians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 13:16; Philippians 1:9
- 2 Matthew 28:20; Ezekiel 3:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 9:21; 2 Thessalonians 3:6
- 3 1 Peter 4:2; Romans 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:4; Colossians 3:5
- 4 1 Corinthians 7:9; Romans 12:1; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 Corinthians 6:15
- 5 Galatians 4:8; Acts 17:30–31; Ephesians 4:17–19; Colossians 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8
- 6 Hebrews 13:4; Romans 12:19; Exodus 20:17; Exodus 20:15; Proverbs 28:24
- 7 Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 2:9–12; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:14–16; Romans 8:29–30
- 8 1 John 3:24; Luke 10:16; 1 Samuel 8:7; John 12:48; 2 Peter 1:21
- 9 1 John 3:11; Romans 12:10; 1 John 3:23; John 13:34–35; Hebrews 13:1
- 10 Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 8:1–2
- 11 Ecclesiastes 4:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Peter 3:4; Titus 3:14; Proverbs 17:1
- 12 Colossians 4:5; Romans 12:17; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Timothy 3:7; Romans 13:13
- 13 Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 15:18–19; 2 Peter 3:4
- 14 Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:20–21; Isaiah 26:19; 2 Corinthians 4:13–14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13
- 15 1 Corinthians 15:51–53; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:19
- 16 1 Corinthians 15:51–52; Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:30–31; 1 Corinthians 15:23; Matthew 16:27
- 17 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 11:12; John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; Revelation 1:7
- 18 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Luke 21:28; Hebrews 10:24–25; Isaiah 40:1–2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When he has met what was pressing, and what was upon his hands, and is about henceforth to enter upon things that are perpetual, and which they ought continually to hear, he adds this expression, "finally," that is, always and forever. "We beseech and exhort you in the Lord." Strange!
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
What friend of wisdom and holy joys, who, being married, but knowing, as the apostle says, "how to possess his vessel in santification and honor, not in the disease of desire, as the Gentiles who know not God," would not prefer, if this were possi ble, to beget children without this lust, so that in this function of begetting offspring …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Which Paul too did, saying, "Sorrow not, even as the rest which have no hope;" and, "Even as the Gentiles which know not God." And to signify that He requires nothing very overpowering, but a little more than was accustomed, He saith, "Do not even the Gentiles the same?" Yet nevertheless He stops not the discourse at this, but makes …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… watch over your souls; keep unshaken and unchanged your hope in Him who rose again; raise you together with Him from your dead sins unto His heavenly gift; count you worthy to be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, in His fitting time; and, until that time arrive of His glorious second advent, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
It is yours according to your merit to be "ever with the Lord," and you expect to be caught up "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and to be ever with the Lord." You declare the man who numbers and ranks the Spirit with the Father and the Son to be guilty of intolerable impiety.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)