帖撒羅尼迦前書 4 – CCBT & NIVUK

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

帖撒羅尼迦前書 4:1-18

上帝喜悅的生活

1最後,弟兄姊妹,既然你們領受了我們的教導,知道怎樣行才能討上帝的喜悅,如你們現在所行的,我們靠著主耶穌懇求、勸勉你們要更加努力。 2你們都知道我們靠著主耶穌傳給你們的誡命。 3上帝的旨意是要你們聖潔,遠避淫亂的事, 4要你們人人都知道持守身體的聖潔和尊貴, 5不可荒淫縱慾,像那些不認識上帝的外族人一樣。 6你們在這種事上不可越軌,虧負弟兄姊妹。我們曾經對你們說過,並且鄭重地警告過你們,主必懲治犯這種罪的人。 7因為上帝呼召我們不是要我們沾染污穢,而是要我們聖潔。 8所以,人若拒絕遵行這命令,他不是拒絕人,而是拒絕賜聖靈給你們的上帝。

9關於弟兄姊妹彼此相愛的事,我就不必多寫了,因為你們自己從上帝那裡領受了要彼此相愛的教導。 10你們對馬其頓全境的弟兄姊妹已經做到了這一點。不過,我勸各位要再接再厲。 11你們要立志過安分守己的生活,親手做工,正如我們以前吩咐你們的。 12這樣,你們可以得到外人的尊敬,不必依賴任何人。

復活的盼望

13弟兄姊妹,關於安息的信徒4·13 安息的信徒」希臘文是「睡了的人」,聖經常用「睡了」作為「死了」的委婉說法,參見約翰福音十一章11—14節。,我不願意你們一無所知,免得你們像那些沒有盼望的人一樣悲傷。 14我們既然相信耶穌死了,又復活了,也要相信上帝必把那些安息的信徒和耶穌一同帶來。

15我們把主耶穌的話告訴你們:主再來的那天,我們還活著的人不會比已安息的信徒先見到主。 16因為主必在號令聲、天使長的呼喊聲和上帝的號角聲中親自從天降臨,已經離世的基督徒必先復活。 17然後,我們還活著的人要和他們一起被提到雲裡,在空中與主相會,永遠和主在一起。 18所以你們要用這些話彼此鼓勵。

New International Version – UK

1 Thessalonians 4:1-18

Living to please God

1As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control your own body4:4 Or learn to live with your own wife; or learn to acquire a wife in a way that is holy and honourable, 5not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no-one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.4:6 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

9Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, 11and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Believers who have died

13Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.