2 Thessalonians 3

KJV · Chapter 3/3

¹Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

²And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

³But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

⁴And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.

⁵And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

⁶Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

⁷For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

⁸Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

⁹Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

¹⁰For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

¹¹For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

¹²Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

¹³But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

¹⁴And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

¹⁵Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

¹⁶Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written from Athens.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul asks for prayer that the word of the Lord may spread, and rebukes those who were living idly, refusing to work. He reinforces the principle that whoever does not want to work should not eat either, closing with a greeting written in his own hand.

Explanation

Some in the church, perhaps believing that Christ's return was imminent, had stopped working and were living off others, causing disorder in the community. Paul uses his own example of hard work as a model and establishes the practical principle that mutual support should not become an excuse for laziness. He instructs the community to correct these brothers firmly, but without treating them as enemies. Today's application is to balance faith and practical responsibility: waiting on God does not mean abandoning everyday duties.

Fun facts

Paul signed his letters with his own hand at the end (3:17) as a form of authentication, since the rest was usually dictated to a scribe — a common practice in ancient correspondence to prevent forgeries.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Thessalonians 3:1Paul asks for prayer for himself and his team, specifically that the preaching of the gospel keep advancing and be well received just as it already has been among the Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians 3:2Paul also asks for prayer to be delivered from wicked and unreasonable people, realistically acknowledging that not everyone has genuine faith.
2 Thessalonians 3:3Paul contrasts the unreliability of these people with the faithfulness of the Lord, who will strengthen and protect the Thessalonians from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:4Paul expresses confidence that the Thessalonians will keep following the instructions he has already given, both now and in the future.
2 Thessalonians 3:5Paul offers a brief prayer asking the Lord to direct their hearts toward the love of God and the patience that comes from Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:6Paul asks the church to distance itself, at least socially, from members who live in a way he considers outside the expected order — the specific issue is detailed in the following verses, about people who had stopped working. It is not permanent expulsion, it is a form of social pressure meant to bring correction.
2 Thessalonians 3:7Paul recalls that his own conduct served as a practical model: he and his team never lived in a disorderly or lazy way among the Thessalonians.
2 Thessalonians 3:8Paul repeats here what he had already told them in the first letter: he worked with his own hands to support himself while preaching in Thessalonica, without depending on the new church’s money. He uses this own example as a model to correct those who were living off others.
2 Thessalonians 3:9Paul clarifies that working for his own support was not a lack of right, even though he had authority as an apostle to ask for help, but a deliberate choice to serve as an example.
2 Thessalonians 3:10Sometimes used out of context today, this rule refers to a specific group in the church that had stopped working, apparently believing that Christ’s coming was so near that the normal routine was no longer worth continuing. Paul corrects this behavior with a direct rule, not a general condemnation of people who cannot work for other reasons.
2 Thessalonians 3:11Paul identifies the concrete problem behind these instructions: some Thessalonians had stopped working and were living by meddling in other people’s business.
2 Thessalonians 3:12Paul gives a direct order, with the authority of Christ, to this specific group: work quietly and earn their own living.
2 Thessalonians 3:13Paul asks the rest of the church not to lose heart or grow tired of doing good, even while dealing with these difficult cases within the community.
2 Thessalonians 3:14Paul proposes a form of social discipline: publicly identify whoever is disregarding this instruction from the letter and reduce close contact with that person, hoping the resulting shame will bring a change of attitude. In the next verse, he makes clear this should not turn into hostility — the person is still treated as a brother, only admonished.
2 Thessalonians 3:15Paul softens the social discipline recommended in the previous verse: the corrected person should not be treated as an enemy, but admonished with the affection of a brother.
2 Thessalonians 3:16Paul offers one last prayer of blessing, asking that “the Lord of peace himself” give the Thessalonians peace continually, in whatever way it is needed.
2 Thessalonians 3:17Since Paul dictated his letters to a secretary, he adopted the practice of personally signing the ending in his own hand, as a kind of mark of authenticity. He mentions this because it seems a false letter in his name had already circulated, the same rumor he corrects at the beginning of chapter 2.
2 Thessalonians 3:18Paul closes the letter with the same final blessing of grace he uses in several other letters, wishing it upon all his readers.

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