2 Thessalonians 3

1 As for the other matters, [our] fellow believers, pray for us that more and more [people will] hear [PRS] our message [about our] Lord [Jesus]. Pray that they will believe this message, as you [have done].

Concerning other things, brothers, pray for us, so that the Word of God may advance and be glorified, just as it is among you,

2 Pray also for us that we will be rescued {that God will rescue us} from those very perverse/evil people [here] who [cause us to suffer. Pray like that] because [they and many others] refuse to believe [LIT] [this message].

and so that we may be freed from pertinacious and evil men. For not everyone is faithful.

3 [Remember that our] Lord [Jesus] is trustworthy! [So we are sure that] he will cause you to continue to be steadfast. [We are also sure that] he will protect you from [Satan], the evil one (OR, from evil).

But God is faithful. He will strengthen you, and he will guard you from evil.

4 [Because of your close relationship with our] Lord [Jesus], we are confident that you are obeying what we have commanded you, and we are confident that you will obey what we are commanding [you in this letter].

And we have confidence about you in the Lord, that you are doing, and will continue to do, just as we have instructed.

5 [We pray that our] Lord [Jesus] would enable you to continue [knowing] that God loves you. [We pray] also that Christ will cause you to continue [being] steadfast (OR, being steadfast as he [was steadfast]).

And may the Lord direct your hearts, in the charity of God and with the patience of Christ.

6 [Our] fellow believers, we command you, with the authority [MTY] that our Lord Jesus Christ [has given to us], that you stop associating with every fellow believer who is lazy and refuses to work. That is, you must stay away from those who are not [conducting their lives] in the manner that we taught you.

But 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 us.

7 [We tell you this] because you yourselves know that you should [behave] like we [behaved]. We (did not just sit [around] without working/were never lazy) [while we were living] among you.

For you yourselves know the manner in which you ought to imitate us. For we were not disorderly among you.

8 Specifically, we did not eat anyone’s food if we did not pay [that person] for it. Instead, we worked very hard ([to support ourselves/to earn the money to buy what we needed]). We worked hard [DOU] during the day and during the night, in order that we would not have to depend on any of you [to supply what we needed].

Nor 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 you.

9 We have always had the right [to depend on you for money, but instead we worked hard in order to make ourselves] examples for you, in order that you should behave like we behave.

It 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 us.

10 Remember that when we were [there] with you, we kept commanding you that if any [fellow believer] refuses to work, [you should not give] him food to eat.

Then, too, while we were with you, we insisted on this to you: that if anyone was not willing to work, neither should he eat.

11 [We are commanding the same thing] again now, because someone has told us that some of you are lazy and not working at all, just interfering [with what other people are doing]!

For we have heard that there are some among you who act disruptively, not working at all, but eagerly meddling.

12 We command those fellow believers who are not working, and urge [them] by the authority [MTY] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they settle down and (support themselves by working/work to earn money to buy what they need).

Now 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 bread.

13 Fellow believers! Do not ever get tired of doing what is right!

And you, brothers, do not grow weak in doing good.

14 If any [fellow believer refuses to work] and does not obey what I have written in this letter, ([publicly] identify that person/tell the congregation what that person is doing). Then do not associate with him, in order that he may become ashamed.

But 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 ashamed.

15 Do not think of him as though he was [your] enemy; instead, warn him as [you would warn your other] fellow believers.

But do not be willing to consider him as an enemy; instead, correct him as a brother.

16 [I pray that our] Lord [Jesus] himself, who [gives inner] peace [to his people], will give [inner] peace to you always (and in every situation/whatever happens). 2 Thessalonians 3:16b-18 I [pray that our] Lord [Jesus will continue to] help you all.

Then may the Lord of peace himself give you an everlasting peace, in every place. May the Lord be with all of you.

17 Now, having taken the pen from my scribe, I, Paul, am sending this greeting to you as I write this myself [SYN]. I do this in all my letters in order that you may know that it is truly I who have sent this letter. This is how I always end my letters.

The greeting of Paul with my own hand, which is the seal in every epistle. So do I write.

18 I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to act kindly to you all.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.