Request for Prayer 1 UST This is the last part of what I want to say. Our fellow believers, pray for us that many more people will soon hear the 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 UST Pray also for us that God will keep the many evil people from harming us. As you know, most people are not faithful to the Lord. BSB BSB: And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not everyone holds to the faith.
3 UST Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus is faithful to you! He will make you strong spiritually and 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 UST Because you are joined to our Lord Jesus, we are also 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 UST We pray that our Lord Jesus would continue to help you to experience how much God loves you as well as to experience the endurance that the Messiah will give you. BSB BSB: May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
A Warning against Idleness 6 UST Our fellow believers, accept what we say now as if our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself were saying this: we command you to stop associating with every fellow believer who is lazy and refuses to work. These people are not living in the way that Jesus taught us and that we in turn have 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 UST We tell you this because you yourselves know that you should behave just as we behaved. We did not just sit there 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 UST That is to say, we did not eat anyone’ s food if we did not pay for it. Instead, we worked very hard all the time{ to support ourselves}. We did that 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 UST God has certainly authorized us to receive what we need from his people. But instead of demanding things from you, we worked hard so that you could see how God wants his people to live, and then you could live in just the same way. BSB BSB: Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.
10 UST 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 UST Now we tell you this again, because people have told us that some of you are lazy and not working at all. Not only that, but 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 UST Accept what we say now as if the Lord Jesus the Messiah himself were saying this: We command and urge those fellow believers who are not working to mind their own business and to work so that they have what they need to live. BSB BSB: We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
13 UST As for you fellow believers who are working hard, 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 UST If any fellow believer does not obey what we have written in this letter, publicly identify that person. Then do not associate with him, in order that he may become ashamed{ that he is not working}. 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 UST 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 UST I pray that our Lord, who is the only one who can truly make anyone peaceful, will make you peaceful in every way and in all situations. 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 UST { 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 in order 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 UST I pray that our Lord Jesus the Messiah 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.