1 Thessalonians 3:1–4:18

Concern for Their Faith

3Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ²and sent ^aTimothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ^3bthat no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that ^cwe are appointed to this. ^4dFor, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. ⁵For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, ^elest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and ^four labor might be in vain.

Encouraged by Timothy

^6gBut now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, ^has we also to see you—⁷therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress ⁱwe were comforted concerning you by your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you ^jstand fast in the Lord.

⁹For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, ¹⁰night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face ^kand perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Prayer for the Church

¹¹Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, ^ldirect our way to you. ¹²And may the Lord make you increase and ^mabound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³so that He may establish ⁿyour hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Plea for Purity

4Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^athat you should abound more and more, ^bjust as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; ²for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³For this is ^cthe will of God, ^dyour sanctification: ^ethat you should abstain from sexual immorality; ^4fthat each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ^5gnot in passion of lust, ^hlike the Gentiles ⁱwho do not know God; ⁶that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^jis the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^kbut in holiness. ^8lTherefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^mwho ¹has also given us His Holy Spirit.

A Brotherly and Orderly Life

⁹But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for ⁿyou yourselves are taught by God ^oto love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^pthat you increase more and more; ¹¹that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, ^qto mind your own business, and ^rto work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ^12sthat you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, ²lest you sorrow ^tas others ^uwho have no hope. ¹⁴For ^vif we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^wthose who ³sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we say to you ^xby the word of the Lord, that ^ywe who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ⁴asleep. ¹⁶For ^zthe Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^athe trumpet of God. ^bAnd the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17cThen we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^din the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^ewe shall always be with the Lord. ^18fTherefore comfort one another with these words.