Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk,— that ye abound more and more.
For ye know what {Greek: charges.}charge we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye abstain from fornication;
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;
that no man {Or, overreach}transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter: because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we {Or, told you plainly}forewarned you and testified.
For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification.
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
and that ye {Greek: be ambitious. See Romans 15:20 margin.}study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands, even as we charged you;
that ye may walk becomingly toward them that are without, and may have need of nothing.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
Querverweise zu 1. Thessalonicher 4,3 1Thes 4,3
in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings:
I delight to do thy will, O my God;Yea, thy law is within my heart.
And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the {Or, presence}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
but that we {Or, enjoin them}write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
Teach me to do thy will;For thou art my God: {Or, Let thy good Spirit lead me}Thy Spirit is good;Lead me in {Or, a plain country}the land of uprightness.
{Or, Consecrate}Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth.
As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world.
And for their sakes I {Or, Consecrate}sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
And now I commend you to {Some ancient authorities read the Lord.}God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
to open their eyes, {Or, to turn them}that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators;
{Or, not altogether with the fornicators &c.}not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world:
but {Or, now I write}as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat.
For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, {Or, both rightousness and sanctification and redemption}and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself.
And such were some of you: but ye {Greek: washed yourselves.}were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.
Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to nought both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body:
and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power.
Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.
Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, {Genesis 2:24.}The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
And be not fashioned according to this {Or, age}world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is {Or, the will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect}the good and {Greek: well-pleasing.}acceptable and perfect will of God.
that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the {Greek: laver.}washing of water with the word,
But, because of fornications, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed.
not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as {Greek: Bondservants.}servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the {Greek: soul.}heart;
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you {Many ancient authorities read as firstfruits.}from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and {Or, faith}belief of the truth:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints;
nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
For ye have need of {Or, stedfastness}patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.
{Or, whether}lest there be any fornication, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright.
make you perfect in every good {Many ancient authorities read work.}thing to do his will, working in {Many ancient authorities read you.}us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever. Amen.
Let marriage be had in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled: for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.
that {Or, he no longer…his time}ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and {Or, doeth}maketh a lie.