1 Now, brothers, pray for us, that the Lord's message may spread rapidly and gloriously as it did among you,
2 and that we may be saved from unjust and wicked men; for not everybody has faith.
3 But the Lord is to be relied on, and he will give you strength and protect you from the evil one.
4 We have faith in you through the Lord that you are doing and will keep doing what we direct you to do.
5 May the Lord guide your hearts into a sense of God's love and into a steadfastness like Christ's.
6 We charge you, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who lives in idleness, instead of following the teaching you received from us.
7 For you know yourselves what you must do to follow my example, for I was not idle when I was with you;
8 I did not eat anybody's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor I worked night and day, in order not to be a burden to any of you.
9 Not that I had not a right to my support, but to give you in my own conduct an example to imitate.
10 When I was with you, I gave you this rule: "If anyone refuses to work, give him nothing to eat!"
11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.
12 Now with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ we charge and exhort such people to keep quiet and do their work and earn their own living.
13 But you, brothers, must not get tired of doing right.