¹³ Besides that, they learn to be idle, gadding about from house to house, and they are not merely idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say.^(A)

¹¹ they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.^(A)

Warning against Idleness

⁶ Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister living irresponsibly and not according to the tradition that they^[a] received from us.^{(A) 7} For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not irresponsible when we were with you,^{(B) 8} and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day so that we might not burden any of you.^{(C) 9} This was not because we do not have that right but in order to give you an example to imitate.^{(D) 10} For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: anyone unwilling to work should not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some of you are living irresponsibly, mere busybodies, not doing any work.^(E)

¹⁰ So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the brothers and sisters and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.^(A)

¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief maker.^[a](A)

¹⁰ From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

³⁰ Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.

²⁰ I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house,^(A)