1 Thessalonians 3–4

3Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing ^dto be left behind at Athens alone, ²and we ^esent Timothy, ^four brother and God’s coworker¹ in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, ³that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that ^gwe are destined for this. ⁴For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, ^hjust as it has come to pass, and just as you know. ⁵For this reason, ⁱwhen I could bear it no longer, ⁱI sent to learn about your faith, ^jfor fear that somehow ^kthe tempter had tempted you and ^lour labor would be in vain.

Timothy’s Encouraging Report

⁶But ^mnow that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of ⁿyour faith and love and reported ^othat you always remember us kindly and ^plong to see us, as we long to see you— ⁷for this reason, brothers,² in all our distress and affliction ^qwe have been comforted about you through your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you ^rare standing fast in the Lord. ⁹For ^swhat thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰as we pray most earnestly ^tnight and day ^uthat we may see you face to face and ^vsupply what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹Now may ^wour God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, ^xdirect our way to you, ¹²and may the Lord ^ymake you increase and abound in love ^zfor one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³so that he may ^aestablish your hearts blameless in holiness before ^wour God and Father, at ^bthe coming of our Lord Jesus ^cwith all his saints.

A Life Pleasing to God

4Finally, then, brothers,¹ we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you ^dreceived from us ^ehow you ought to walk and ^fto please God, just as you are doing, that you ^gdo so more and more. ²For ^hyou know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³For this is the will of God, ⁱyour sanctification:^{2 j}that you abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴that each one of you know how to control his own ^kbody³ in holiness and ^lhonor, ⁵not in ^mthe passion of lust ⁿlike the Gentiles ^owho do not know God; ⁶that no one transgress and ^pwrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is ^qan avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. ⁷For ^rGod has not called us for ^simpurity, but in holiness. ⁸Therefore ^twhoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, ^uwho gives his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹Now concerning ^vbrotherly love ^wyou have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been ^xtaught by God ^yto love one another, ¹⁰for that indeed is what ^zyou are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to ^ado this more and more, ¹¹and to aspire ^bto live quietly, and ^cto mind your own affairs, and ^dto work with your hands, as we instructed you, ¹²so that you may ^ewalk properly before ^foutsiders and be dependent on no one.

The Coming of the Lord

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, ^gthat you may not grieve as others do ^hwho have no hope. ¹⁴For ⁱsince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^jthose who have fallen asleep. ¹⁵For this we declare to you ^kby a word from the Lord,⁴ that ^lwe who are alive, who are left until ^mthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶For ⁿthe Lord himself will descend ^ofrom heaven ^pwith a cry of command, with the voice of ^qan archangel, and ^rwith the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^sthe dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^tcaught up together with them ^uin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^vwe will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.