1 Thessalonians 3:1–4:18

Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone; ²and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s minister in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith; ³that no man be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that hereunto we are appointed. ⁴For verily, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction; even as it came to pass, and ye know. ⁵For this cause I also, when I could no longer forbear, sent that I might know your faith, lest by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor should be in vain. ⁶But when Timothy came even now unto us from you, and brought us glad tidings of your faith and love, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, longing to see us, even as we also to see you; ⁷for this cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith: ⁸for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. ⁹For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

¹¹Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: ¹²and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you; ¹³to the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

4Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,—that ye abound more and more. ²For ye know what charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication; ⁴that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God; ⁶that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. ⁸Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.

⁹But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another; ¹⁰for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more; ¹¹and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you; ¹²that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.

¹³But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen 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 that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up 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.