2 Thessalonians 3
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, asking that the Lord's Message may be spread rapidly and its glory be displayed, as it was displayed among you;
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].
2 and that we may be delivered from wrong-headed and wicked men; for it is not everybody who has faith.
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].
3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will make you stedfast and will guard you from the Evil one.
[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).
4 And we have confidence in the Lord in regard to you that you are doing, and will do, what we command.
[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].
5 And may the Lord guide your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
[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]).
6 But, by the authority of the Lord, we command you, brethren, to stand aloof from every brother whose life is disorderly and not in accordance with the teaching which all received from us.
[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.
7 For you yourselves know that it is your duty to follow our example. There was no disorder in our lives among you,
[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.
8 nor did we eat any one's bread without paying for it, but we laboured and toiled, working hard night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.
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].
9 This was not because we had not a claim upon you, but it arose from a desire to set you an example--for you to imitate us.
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.
10 For even when we were with you, we laid down this rule for you: "If a man does not choose to work, neither shall he eat."
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.
11 For we hear that there are some of you who live disorderly lives and are mere idle busybodies.
[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]!
12 To persons of that sort our injunction--and our command by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ--is that they are to work quietly and eat their own honestly-earned bread.
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).
13 But you, brethren, must not grow weary in the path of duty;
Fellow believers! Do not ever get tired of doing what is right!
14 and if any one refuses to obey these our written instructions, mark that man and hold no communication with him--so that he may be made to feel ashamed.
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.
15 And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but caution him as a brother.
Do not think of him as though he was [your] enemy; instead, warn him as [you would warn your other] fellow believers.
16 And may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every sense. The Lord be with you all.
[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.
17 I Paul add the greeting with my own hand, which is the credential in every letter of mine.
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.
18 This is my handwriting. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to act kindly to you all.
