Chapter 3

And now, brethren, let us have your prayers, that the word of the Lord may run its course triumphantly with us, as it does with you;

and that we may be preserved from malicious interference; the faith does not reach all hearts.

But the Lord keeps faith with us; he will strengthen you, and keep you from all harm.

We are sure of you in the Lord, sure that you are doing and will do as we bid you;

may the Lord direct you where the love of God and the patience of Christ shew you the way.

Only, brethren, we charge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to have nothing to do with any brother who lives a vagabond life, contrary to the tradition which we handed on;

you do not need to be reminded how, on our visit, we set you an example to be imitated; we were no vagabonds ourselves.

We would not even be indebted to you for our daily bread, we earned it in weariness and toil, working with our hands, night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you;

not that we are obliged to do so, but as a model for your own behaviour; you were to follow our example.

The charge we gave you on our visit was that the man who refuses to work must be left to starve.

And now we are told that there are those among you who live in idleness, neglecting their own business to mind other people’s.

We charge all such, we appeal to them in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn their bread by going on calmly with their work.

For yourselves, brethren, never weary of doing good.

If anybody refuses to listen to what we have said in our letter, he is to be a marked man; avoid his company till he is ashamed of himself,

correcting him like a brother, not treating him as an enemy.

And may the Lord of peace grant you peace everywhere and at all times; the Lord be with you all.

Here is Paul’s greeting in his own hand; the signature which is to be found in all my letters; this is my handwriting.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.