1 Thessalonians 3–4

Wherefore ^awhen we could no longer ^bforbear, ^cwe thought it good to be left at Athens alone; ²and sent ^cdTimotheus, ^ccour brother, and minister of God, and our ^defellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, ^fto establish you, and to ^gcomfort you concerning your faith: ³that no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that ^hwe are appointed thereunto. ⁴For verily, when we were with you, we told you before ^hthat we should suffer tribulation; even as ⁱit came to pass, and ye know. ⁵For this cause, ^awhen I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means ^kthe tempter ^lhave tempted you, and ^mour labour be in vain. ⁶But now ⁿwhen Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of ^oyour faith and charity, and ^pthat ye have good remembrance of us always, ^qdesiring greatly to see us, as ^qwe also to see you: ⁷therefore, brethren, ^rwe were ^gcomforted over you in all our affliction and ^sdistress, by your faith: ⁸for now ^twe live, if ye ^ustand fast in the Lord. ⁹For ^wwhat thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; ^10xnight and day ^xypraying exceedingly ^zthat we might see your face, and ^amight perfect that which is lacking in your faith? ¹¹Now God himself ^band our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^cdirect our way unto you. ¹²And the Lord ^dmake you to increase and abound ^ein love ^fone towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you: ¹³to the end he may ^gstablish your hearts ^hunblameable in holiness before God, ^beven our Father, ⁱat the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ ^kwith all his saints.

IV.^aFurthermore then we ^bbeseech you, brethren, and ^cexhort you by the Lord Jesus, that ^das ye have received of us ^ehow ye ought to walk and ^fto please God, so ye would ^gabound more and more. ²For ye know ^dwhat commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. ³For this is ^hthe will of God, even your ⁱsanctification, ^kthat ye should abstain from fornication: ⁴that every one of you should know how ^lto possess ^mhis vessel in ⁱsanctification and ⁿhonour; ⁵not in ^othe lust of ^oconcupiscence, even ^pas the Gentiles ^qwhich know not God: ⁶that no man go beyond and defraud ^rhis brother in any matter: because that the Lord ^sis the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and ^ttestified. ⁷For God ^uhath not called us unto ^wuncleanness, but ^xunto ⁱholiness. ^8yHe therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, ^zwho hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

⁹But as touching ^abrotherly love ^bye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves ^bbare taught of God ^cto love one another. ¹⁰And indeed ^dye do it towards all the brethren which are in all ^eMacedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye ^fincrease more and more; ¹¹and that ye ^gstudy ^hto be quiet, and ⁱto do ^kyour own business, and ^lto work with your own hands, as we commanded you; ^12mthat ye may walk ^mnhonestly toward ^othem that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

¹³But ^pI would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning ^qthem which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, ^reven as others ^swhich have no hope. ¹⁴For ^tif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so ^quthem also which sleep in Jesus ^wwill God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you ^xby the word of the Lord, that ^ywe which are alive and remain unto ^zthe coming of the Lord shall not ^aprevent ^qthem which are asleep. ¹⁶For ^bthe Lord himself shall descend ^cfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of ^dthe archangel, and with ^ethe trump of God: and ^fthe dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷then ^gwe which are alive and remain shall be ^hcaught up together with them ⁱin the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so ^kshall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore ^lcomfort one another with these words.

V.