But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you {Some ancient authorities read as thieves.}as a thief:
for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness;
so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that are drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us, that, whether we {Or, watch}wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
Wherefore {Or, comfort chapter 4:18.}exhort one another, and build each other up, even as also ye do.
But we beseech you, brethren, to know them that labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
and to esteem them exceeding highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.
See that none render unto any one evil for evil; but always follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
Quench not the Spirit;
despise not prophesyings;
{Many ancient authorities insert but.}prove all things; hold fast that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil.
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.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it.
Brethren, pray for us {Some ancient authorities add also.}.
Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss.
I adjure you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the {Many ancient authorities insert holy.}brethren.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Querverweise zu 1. Thessalonicher 5,20 1Thes 5,20
Therefore he that rejecteth, rejecteth not man, but God, who giveth his Holy Spirit unto you.
And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.
But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the Spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, {Or, from his youth}one of his chosen men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
And Moses said unto him, Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!
After that thou shalt come to {Or, Gibeah}the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying:
and the Spirit of Jehovah will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
And when they came thither to {Or, Gibeah}the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them.
And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
And one of the same place answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great {Or, cistern}well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.
And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and {Or, fell}lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head.
and to another workings of {Greek: powers.}miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discernings of spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to another the interpretation of tongues:
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then {Greek: powers.}miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, {Or, wise counsels}governments, divers kinds of tongues.
And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;
Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men edification, and {Or, comfort}exhortation, and consolation.
He that speaketh in a tongue {Greek: buildeth up.}edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth {Greek: buildeth up.}edifieth the church.
Now I would have you all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy: and greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
But now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by way of revelation, or of knowledge, or of prophesying, or of teaching?
Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to the unbelieving: but prophesying is for a sign, not to the unbelieving, but to them that believe.
If therefore the whole church be assembled together and all speak with tongues, and there come in men unlearned or unbelieving, will they not say that ye are mad?
But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is {Or, convicted}reproved by all, he is judged by all;
the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is {Or, in}among you indeed.
And let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others {Greek: discriminate.}discern.
But if a revelation be made to another sitting by, let the first keep silence.
For ye all can prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be {Or, comforted}exhorted;
and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;
If any man thinketh himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord.
{Many ancient authorities read But if any man knoweth not, he is not known. Compare chapter 8:3.}But if any man is ignorant, let him be ignorant.
Wherefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:
And I will give unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees and the two {Greek: lampstands.}candlesticks, standing before the Lord of the earth.
And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed.
These have the power to shut the heaven, that it rain not during the days of their prophecy: and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they shall desire.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that cometh up out of the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.
And their {Greek: carcase.}dead bodies lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
And from among the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations do men look upon their {Greek: carcase.}dead bodies three days and a half, and suffer not their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
And they that dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and make merry; and they shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.
And after the three days and a half the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them that beheld them.