# 1 Thessalonians 5.19-20

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-06-01 | updated: 2026-06-01 -->

**Book:** [1 Thessalonians](/codex/1-thessalonians/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 17. pray without ceasing; 18. in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you-ward.
>
> **19. Quench not the Spirit; 20. despise not prophesyings;**
>
> 21. prove all things; hold fast that which is good; 22. abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-22, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
>
> **19. Don’t quench the Spirit. 20. Don’t despise prophesies.**
>
> 21. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. 22. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-22, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 17. Pray without ceasing. 18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
>
> **19. Quench not the Spirit. 20. Despise not prophesyings.**
>
> 21. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-22, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 17. continually pray ye; 18. in every thing give thanks, for this [is] the will of God in Christ Jesus in regard to you.
>
> **19. The Spirit quench not; 20. prophesyings despise not;**
>
> 21. all things prove; that which is good hold fast; 22. from all appearance of evil abstain ye; (1 Thessalonians 5:17-22, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Christian Discernment](/codex/christian-discernment/)
- [Sanctification](/codex/sanctification/), via [1 Thessalonians 5.19](/codex/1-thessalonians-5-19/)

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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.