Request for Prayer 1 UDB As for the other matters, our fellow believers, pray for us that more and more people will soon hear our message about our Lord Jesus and honor it, just as you have done. BSB BSB: Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be held in honor, just as it was with you.
2 UDB Pray also for us that God will keep wicked and evil people from harming us, for not everyone believes in the Lord. BSB BSB: And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not everyone holds to the faith.
3 UDB Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus is trustworthy! So we are sure that he will cause you to continue to be strong. We are also sure that he will protect you from Satan, the evil one. BSB BSB: But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
4 UDB Because we are all joined to our Lord Jesus, we are confident that you are now obeying what we have commanded you and that you will obey what we are commanding you in this letter. BSB BSB: And we have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.
5 UDB We pray that our Lord Jesus will continue to help you know how much God loves you and how much Christ has endured for you. BSB BSB: May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
A Warning against Idleness 6 UDB Our fellow believers, we command you—and it is as if the Lord Jesus Christ himself were saying this—that you stop associating with every fellow believer who is lazy and refuses to work. That is to say, you must stay away from those who are not conducting their lives in the manner that others taught us and that we in turn taught you. BSB BSB: Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.
7 UDB We tell you this because you yourselves know that you should behave like we behaved. We did not merely sit around without working while we were living among you. BSB BSB: For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,
8 UDB That is to say, we did not eat anyone's food if we did not pay for it. Instead, we worked very hard to support ourselves during the day and the night so that we would not have to depend on any of you for what we needed. BSB BSB: nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.
9 UDB We have always had the right to depend on you for money because I am an apostle, but instead we worked hard in order to be good examples for you so that you should behave like we behave. BSB BSB: Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.
10 UDB 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. BSB BSB: For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”
11 UDB Now we tell you this again because someone has told us that some of you are lazy and not working at all. Not only that, some of you are interfering with what other people are doing. BSB BSB: For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being busybodies.
12 UDB We command those fellow believers who are not working and urge them, just as if the Lord himself were speaking, that they should mind their own business, earn what they need to live on, and support themselves. BSB BSB: We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
13 UDB Fellow believers, do not ever get tired of doing what is right! BSB BSB: But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.
14 UDB If any fellow believer does not obey what we have written in this letter, publicly identify that person. Then do not associate with him so that he may become ashamed. BSB BSB: Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
15 UDB Do not think of him as though he were your enemy; instead, warn him as you would warn your other fellow believers. BSB BSB: Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Signature and Final Greetings (1 Corinthians 16:19–24; Colossians 4:15–18)
16 UDB I pray that our Lord Jesus himself, who gives peace to his people, will give peace to you always and in every situation. I pray that our Lord Jesus will continue to help you all. BSB BSB: Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
17 UDB Now I have taken the pen from my scribe, and I, Paul, am sending this greeting to you as I write this myself. I do this in all my letters so that you may know that it is truly I who have sent this letter. This is how I always end my letters. BSB BSB: This greeting is in my own hand—Paul. This is my mark in every letter; it is the way I write.
18 UDB I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to act kindly to you all. BSB BSB: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.