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1 Thessalonians 4
New King James Version

### Plea for Purity

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

3 For this is (C)the will of God, (D)your sanctification: (E)that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 (F)that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 (G)not in passion of lust, (H)like the Gentiles (I)who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord (J)is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, (K)but in holiness. 8 (L)Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, (M)who[a] has also given us His Holy Spirit.

### A Brotherly and Orderly Life

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

### The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen [b]asleep, lest you sorrow (T)as others (U)who have no hope. 14 For (V)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him (W)those who [c]sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you (X)by the word of the Lord, that (Y)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are [d]asleep. 16 For (Z)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with (AA)the trumpet of God. (AB)And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 (AC)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (AD)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus (AE)we shall always be with the Lord. 18 (AF)Therefore comfort one another with these words.

#### Footnotes

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 NU who also gives
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Died
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 Or through Jesus sleep
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 Dead

#### Cross references

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 : 1 Cor. 15:58
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 : Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 : [Rom. 12:2]
4. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 : Eph. 5:27
5. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 : [1 Cor. 6:15–20; Col. 3:5]
6. 1 Thessalonians 4:4 : Rom. 6:19
7. 1 Thessalonians 4:5 : Col. 3:5
8. 1 Thessalonians 4:5 : Eph. 4:17, 18
9. 1 Thessalonians 4:5 : 1 Cor. 15:34
10. 1 Thessalonians 4:6 : 2 Thess. 1:8
11. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 : Lev. 11:44; [Heb. 12:14]; 1 Pet. 1:14–16
12. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 : Luke 10:16
13. 1 Thessalonians 4:8 : 1 Cor. 2:10
14. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 : [Jer. 31:33, 34]; John 6:45; 15:12, 17; [1 John 2:27]
15. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 : Matt. 22:39
16. 1 Thessalonians 4:10 : 1 Thess. 3:12
17. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 : 2 Thess. 3:11; 1 Pet. 4:15
18. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 : Acts 20:35
19. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 : Rom. 13:13; Col. 4:5; [1 Pet. 2:12]
20. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 : Lev. 19:28
21. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 : [Eph. 2:12]
22. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 : 1 Cor. 15:13
23. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 : 1 Cor. 15:20, 23
24. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 : 1 Kin. 13:17; 20:35; 2 Cor. 12:1; Gal. 1:12
25. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 : 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 5:10
26. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : [Matt. 24:30, 31]
27. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : [1 Cor. 15:52]
28. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 : [1 Cor. 15:23]; 2 Thess. 2:1; Rev. 14:13; 20:6
29. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : [1 Cor. 15:51–53]; 1 Thess. 5:10
30. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : Dan. 7:13; Acts 1:9; Rev. 11:12
31. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 : John 14:3; 17:24
32. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 : 1 Thess. 5:11

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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