1 Thessalonians 4
The full text of 1 Thessalonians 4 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, just as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God—as in fact you are living—you do so more and more.
2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is God's will: your holiness, that you keep away from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,
5 not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;
6 and that in this matter no one wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister, because the Lord punishes all such sins, as we told you before and solemnly warned you.
7 For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
8 Therefore, whoever rejects this is not rejecting a human being but God, the very one who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 Now about love for one another, you do not need anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
10 And in fact you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more,
11 and to make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands, just as we instructed you,
12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and you will not be dependent on anyone.
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep through him.
15 For this we tell you by the word of the Lord: we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
18 So then, encourage one another with these words.
Translation notes (8)
- 1 Thessalonians 4:4a The phrase 'control his own body' translates the Greek to heautou skeuos ktasthai, which literally means 'to acquire or manage his own vessel.' The Greek word skeuos, translated as 'vessel,' is taken by some to mean the body (as in this translation), and by others to mean 'wife' (referring to taking a wife honorably). The Greek is genuinely ambiguous.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:6a The Greek phrase en to pragmati, translated as 'in this matter,' is general. In context, it most likely refers to sexual conduct, though some interpret it as referring to business dealings. The euphemism is preserved in this translation.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:9a The phrase 'taught by God' translates the single Greek word theodidaktoi, which was coined here and means 'God-taught.'
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11a The phrase 'make it your ambition to live quietly' translates the Greek philotimeisthai hesychazein, which is a deliberate paradox meaning 'be ambitious to be unambitious.'
- 1 Thessalonians 4:12a The Greek word 'medenos' can be neuter or masculine, meaning either 'not lack anything' or 'not be dependent on anyone.' Given the context of working with one's hands, 'not be dependent on anyone' is favored.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13a The Greek phrase 'ton koimomenon,' translated as 'fallen asleep,' is a gentle way of referring to the dead, a usage found throughout this passage.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14a The phrase 'through him' (dia tou Iesou) is difficult to place grammatically: it could refer to 'fallen asleep' (meaning those who died as believers in Jesus) or to 'bring' (meaning God will bring them through Jesus). The Greek word order is preserved in the translation.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17a The Greek word 'harpagesometha,' translated as 'caught up,' is the verb from which the Latin word 'rapere' comes, giving us the English word 'rapture.' It means to be seized and carried off suddenly.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of 1 Thessalonians, is free to read here on the web.
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