1Th 4 | ESV | STEP | Finally , then , brothers , we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus , that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God , just as you are doing, that you do so more and more .

‏ 1 Thessalonians 4

A Life Pleasing to God

1 Finally, then, brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters; also verses 10, 13} we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you ^breceived from us ^chow you ought to walk and ^dto please God, just as you are doing, that you ^edo so more and more. 2 For ^fyou know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, ^gyour sanctification: ^{▼▼Or your holiness} ⁱthat you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own ^jbody ^{▼▼Or how to take a wife for himself; Greek how to possess his own vessel} in holiness and ^lhonor, 5 not in ^mthe passion of lust ⁿlike the Gentiles ^owho do not know God; 6 that 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. 7 For ^rGod has not called us for ^simpurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore ^twhoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, ^uwho gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9 Now 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, 10 for that indeed is what ^zyou are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to ^aado this more and more, 11 and to aspire ^abto live quietly, and ^acto mind your own affairs, and ^adto work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may ^aewalk properly before ^afoutsiders and be dependent on no one.

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, ^agthat you may not grieve as others do ^ahwho have no hope. 14 For ^aisince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him ^ajthose who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you ^akby a word from the Lord, ^{▼▼Or by the word of the Lord} that ^amwe who are alive, who are left until ^anthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For ^aothe Lord himself will descend ^apfrom heaven ^aqwith a cry of command, with the voice of ^aran archangel, and ^aswith the sound of the trumpet of God. And ^atthe dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be ^aucaught up together with them ^avin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so ^awwe will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.