I Thessalonians 5
1 Now concerning the times and the occasions, brothers, you have not need to be written, 2 for you yourselves accurately know that [the] day of [the] Lord comes as [a] thief in the night; 3 when they say: Peace and security1, then sudden destruction approaches them just as the birth-pains to the [one] having [life] in [her] belly, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the day overtake you as [a] thief. 5 For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness. 6 Therefore let us not be sleeping as the rest, but let us be staying awake and be being sober. 7 For those sleeping sleep during the night, and those getting drunk get drunk at night. 8 But we being of day, let us be being sober, having put on [the] breastplate of faith and agape-love, and [for the] helmet [the] hope of salvation. 9 For God has not appointed you for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 the [one] having died for us, in order that whether we be staying awake or whether we sleep, we will zoe-live2 with him. 11 Therefore be encouraging and be upbuilding one another into one [thing], just as you do. 12 So we ask3 you, brothers, to know those laboring among you and directing you in the Lord and admonishing you, 13 and to be considering them very highly in agape-love for their work. Be being at peace among yourselves. 14 So we encourage you, brothers, be admonishing the unruly, be cheering up the discouraged4, be helping the weak, be being long-suffering with all. 15 Be seeing that no one return evil for evil, but always be pursuing that [which is] good for one another and for all. 16 Always be rejoicing, 17 be praying unceasingly, 18 in everything be giving thanks, for this [is the] will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Be not stifling the spirit, 20 be not despising prophesy, 21 be examining5 everything, be holding fast the good, 22 be staying away from every visible-form of wickedness6 .23 Now the God of peace himself make you completely holy, and may your whole spirit and psyche-life7 and body be kept blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus. 24 Trustworthy is the [one] calling you, who will also do [it]. 25 Brothers, be praying also concerning us. 26 Be greeting all the brothers with [a] holy kiss8. 27 I charge you by the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus [be]9 with you.
1or "safety"
2from ZOE "ZOH-ay" (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected. Although it means 'life' in the conventional sense (for example: Matt.9:18, Matt.27:63, Luke.2:36, Acts.25:24, Rom.7:2, 2Cor.1:8, 1Thes.4:17, 1Tim.5:10, Rev.19:20), Jesus uses ZOE exclusively of 'life eternal' (with the possible exceptions of Luke.15:13, Luke.16:25). The other N.T. writers use ZOE in both senses—temporal and eternal, generally clear from the context. The Father is the 'zoe-living God' (see Matt.16:16). The Septuagint (LXX) in Gen.2:7 has "...[God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of zoe-life, and the man became a zoe-living psyche-life" (and see 1Cor.15:45); and Gen.3:20 (LXX) "And Adam called his wife's name ZOE, because she was the mother of all zoe-living." Contrast PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. See John.12:25 where both ZOE and PSYCHE occur. Greek also has the word BIOS (βιoς ) for 'life' in the sense of biological processes.
3EROTAO (ερωταω) "Ask", but more polite, not demanding/begging as is AITEO. Both AITEO and EROTAO occur in John.16:26.
4LITTLE-SOULED
5"testing", "approving"
6PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.
7from PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. Animals have PSYCHEs as well as humans. Contrast ZOE (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected.
8from [PHILIA]
9or "[is]"