1 Thessalonians 3-4

New King James Version

Concern for Their Faith

3 Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, ²and sent ^(A)Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, ³^(B)that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that ^(C)we are appointed to this. ⁴^(D)For, 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, ^(E)lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and ^(F)our labor might be in vain.

Encouraged by Timothy

⁶^(G)But 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, ^(H)as we also to see you— ⁷therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress ^(I)we were comforted concerning you by your faith. ⁸For now we live, if you ^(J)stand 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 ^(K)and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

Prayer for the Church

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

Plea for Purity

4 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus ^(O)that you should abound more and more, ^(P)just 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 ^(Q)the will of God, ^(R)your sanctification: ^(S)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴^(T)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵^(U)not in passion of lust, ^(V)like the Gentiles ^(W)who do not know God; ⁶that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord ^(X)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. ⁷For God did not call us to uncleanness, ^(Y)but in holiness. ⁸^(Z)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, ^(AA)who^[a] has 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 ^(AB)you yourselves are taught by God ^(AC)to love one another; ¹⁰and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, ^(AD)that you increase more and more; ¹¹that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, ^(AE)to mind your own business, and ^(AF)to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹²^(AG)that 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 ^[b]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(AH)as others ^(AI)who have no hope. ¹⁴For ^(AJ)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(AK)those who ^[c]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵For this we say to you ^(AL)by the word of the Lord, that ^(AM)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[d]asleep. ¹⁶For ^(AN)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(AO)the trumpet of God. ^(AP)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷^(AQ)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(AR)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(AS)we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸^(AT)Therefore comfort one another with these words.