1 F inally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;

My last words to you, Christian brothers, are that you pray for us. Pray that the Word of the Lord will go out over all the land and prove its power just as it did with you.

2 a nd that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

Pray that we will be kept from sinful men, because not all men are Christians.

3 B ut the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

But the Lord is faithful. He will give you strength and keep you safe from the devil.

4 W e have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

We have faith in the Lord for you. We believe you are doing and will keep on doing the things we told you.

5 M ay the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.

May the Lord lead your hearts into the love of God. May He help you as you wait for Christ.

6 N ow we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

Now this is what we tell you to do, Christian brothers. In the name of the Lord Jesus, keep away from any Christian who is lazy and who does not do what we taught you.

7 F or you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you,

You know you should follow the way of life we lived when we were with you. We worked hard while we were there.

8 n or did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;

We did not eat anyone’s food without paying for it. We worked hard night and day so none of you would have to give us anything.

9 n ot because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.

We could have asked you to give us food. But we did not so that you might follow our way of living.

10 F or even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

When we were with you, we told you that if a man does not work, he should not eat.

11 F or we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

We hear that some are not working. But they are spending their time trying to see what others are doing.

12 N ow such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.

Our words to such people are that they should be quiet and go to work. They should eat their own food. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we say this.

13 B ut as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

But you, Christian brothers, do not get tired of doing good.

14 I f anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.

If anyone does not want to listen to what we say in this letter, remember who he is and stay away from him. In that way, he will be put to shame.

15 Y et do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Do not think of him as one who hates you. But talk to him as a Christian brother.

16 N ow may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!

May the Lord of peace give you His peace at all times. The Lord be with you all.

17 I , Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write.

I, Paul, write this last part with my own hand. It is the way I finish all my letters.

18 T he grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

May all of you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus Christ.