2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

The Voice

⁶ For the sake of the church, brothers and sisters, we insist in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed that you withdraw from any brother or sister who is out of order and unwilling to work, who is straying from the line of teaching we passed on to all of you. ⁷ You know how essential it is to imitate us in the way we live life. We were never undisciplined ⁸ nor did we take charity from anyone while we were with you. Instead, you saw how we worked very hard day and night so we wouldn’t be a burden to even one person in the community. ⁹ We had the right to depend on your help and hospitality, as you know; but we wanted to give you a model you could follow, to lay a path of footprints for you to walk in. ¹⁰ This is exactly why, while with you, we commanded you: “Anyone not willing to work shouldn’t get to eat!” ¹¹ You see, we are hearing that some folks in the community are out of step with our teaching; they are idle, not working, but really busy doing nothing—and yet still expect to be fed! ¹² If this is you or someone else in the community, we insist and urge you in the Lord Jesus the Anointed that you go to work quietly, earn your keep, put food on your own table, and supply your own necessities. ¹³ And to the rest of you, brothers and sisters, never grow tired of doing good.