2 Thessalonians 3
The apostle asks for prayer that the Word of God may advance and that he may be freed from evil men, and expresses confidence that the Lord will strengthen and guard the faithful. He cautions against brothers who walk in disorder and do not follow the tradition received from the apostles, and reminds them that he and his companions worked hard to set an example of self-sufficiency. The apostle instructs those who are idle to work and eat their own bread, and warns that those who disobey this instruction should be corrected as a brother. The chapter concludes with a blessing of peace and a greeting from Paul.
1Concerning other things, brothers, pray for us, so that the Word of God may advance and be glorified, just as it is among you2and so that we may be freed from pertinacious and evil men. For not everyone is faithful3But God is faithful. He will strengthen you, and he will guard you from evil4And we have confidence about you in the Lord, that you are doing, and will continue to do, just as we have instructed5And may the Lord direct your hearts, in the charity of God and with the patience of Christ6But we strongly caution you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to draw yourselves away from every brother who is walking in disorder and not according to the tradition that they received from us7For you yourselves know the manner in which you ought to imitate us. For we were not disorderly among you8Nor did we eat bread from anyone for free, but rather, we worked night and day, in hardship and weariness, so as not to be burdensome to you9It was not as if we had no authority, but this was so that we might present ourselves as an example to you, in order to imitate us10Then, too, while we were with you, we insisted on this to you: that if anyone was not willing to work, neither should he eat11For we have heard that there are some among you who act disruptively, not working at all, but eagerly meddling12Now we charge those who act in this way, and we beg them in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work in silence and eat their own bread13And you, brothers, do not grow weak in doing good14But if anyone does not obey our word by this epistle, take note of him and do not keep company with him, so that he may be ashamed15But do not be willing to consider him as an enemy; instead, correct him as a brother16Then may the Lord of peace himself give you an everlasting peace, in every place. May the Lord be with all of you17The greeting of Paul with my own hand, which is the seal in every epistle. So do I write18May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen
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