¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, ^(A)be fervent in spirit,^{[a] (B)}serve the Lord.

²⁵ He had been instructed in ^(A)the way of the Lord. And ^(B)being fervent in spirit,^[a] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only ^(C)the baptism of John.

¹⁰ For ^(A)God is not unjust so as to overlook ^(B)your work and the love that you have shown for his name in ^(C)serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance ^(D)of hope until the end,

¹⁵ “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. ^(A)Would that you were either cold or hot! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^(A)love covers a multitude of sins.

²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal, but rather ^(A)let him labor, ^(B)doing honest work with his own hands, so ^(C)that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(A)a sincere brotherly love, ^(B)love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

²⁸ Therefore let us be grateful for receiving ^(A)a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus ^(B)let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

Warning Against Idleness

⁶ Now we command you, brothers, ^(A)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(B)that you keep away from any ^(C)brother ^(D)who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know ^(E)how you ought to imitate us, because ^(F)we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but ^(G)with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was ^(H)not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves ^(I)an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: ^(J)If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some among you ^(K)walk in idleness, not busy at work, but ^(L)busybodies. ¹² Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.^[a]