2 Thessalonians 3

²⁵Brothers, pray for us as well.

³as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

⁹because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

²⁰So the word of the Lord powerfully continued to spread and prevail.

²⁴But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

³¹Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,

²⁰He said: “I will hide My face from them; I will see what will be their end. For they are a perverse generation—children of unfaithfulness.

¹⁶But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

⁸I tell you, He will promptly carry out justice on their behalf. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

⁸We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

⁹Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

¹⁸And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²⁴The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.

¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

⁷The Lord will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.

⁹God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

¹⁵I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.

⁶being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

²¹Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

¹⁰And you are indeed showing this love to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to excel more and more

³I wrote as I did so that on my arrival I would not be grieved by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

¹Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more.

²For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³⁶Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.

¹⁸O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this desire forever in the intentions of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You.

⁶The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.

¹⁹We love because He first loved us.

²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

³But the one who loves God is known by God.

¹⁰For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

¹¹For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being busybodies.

⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,

¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

¹⁷Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

¹Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live in a way that is pleasing to God, just as you have received from us. This is how you already live, so you should do so all the more.

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

⁹Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.

¹⁶Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

¹You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

⁷In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity,

¹⁷Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

⁹Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

³and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.

¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,

⁴Have we no right to food and to drink?

⁵Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?

⁶Nor did we seek praise from you or from anyone else, although as apostles of Christ we had authority to demand it.

⁶Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.

¹⁵I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you.

¹⁰Take no bag for the road, or second tunic, or sandals, or staff; for the worker is worthy of his provisions.

¹⁹By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

⁴The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

⁴The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

²⁵The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work.

³⁰I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment.

³¹Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.

¹³At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

¹⁵Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

¹¹and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

⁸nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

³Give us each day our daily bread.

¹Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.

⁶Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.

⁹Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

³Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

¹Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.

²⁹He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.

³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.

¹Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart:

¹⁰Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,

⁶Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

¹¹But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

¹⁶Cover their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord.

⁸Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

¹⁵Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; when I punish them, they will collapse,” says the Lord.

¹⁰Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,

¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

⁵hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

¹⁴I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children.

¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

¹²Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

¹¹The Lord gives His people strength; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

³³I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”

²³“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

²⁷Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.

³³The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.

²⁴So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

²¹This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

¹⁸This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

⁵All this is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment. And so you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

¹²Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord that you will indeed show kindness to my family, because I showed kindness to you. Give me a sure sign

¹⁸Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.

²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

²³Gaius, who has hosted me and all the church, sends you greetings. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you greetings, as does our brother Quartus.