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Now I want to talk about some other matters. Brothers and sisters, pray for us. Pray that the Lord's message will spread quickly. Pray that others will honour it just as you did. 2 And pray that we will be saved from sinful and evil people. Not everyone is a believer. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you. He will guard you from the evil one. 4 We trust in the Lord. So we are sure that you are doing the things we tell you to do. And we are sure that you will keep on doing them. 5 May the Lord fill your hearts with God's love. May Christ give you the strength to go on. 2:13–3:5 The Thessalonians weren't like the people who choose to be fooled. They believed the truth about who Jesus is. They accepted the love, hope and grace that God gave them. God protected them from someone Paul called the evil one. That is another way of talking about the devil and evil spiritual beings. Paul reminded the Thessalonians that God is powerful. God gave them strength and filled them with his love. So Paul urged them to stay strong in their faith. He urged them to keep living a holy life. He begged the Thessalonians to pray for him and for those who worked with him. Even though many people opposed Paul, he wanted to keep spreading the message about Jesus.
6 Brothers and sisters, here is a command we give you. We give it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep away from every believer who doesn't want to work and makes trouble. Keep away from any believer who doesn't live up to the teaching you received from us. 7 You know how you should follow our example. We worked when we were with you. 8 We didn't eat anyone's food without paying for it. In fact, it was just the opposite. We worked night and day. We worked very hard so that we wouldn't cause any expense to any of you. 9 We worked, even though we have the right to receive help from you. We did it in order to be a model for you to follow. 10 Even when we were with you, we gave you a rule. We said, ‘Anyone who won't work shouldn't be allowed to eat.’
11 We hear that some people among you don't want to work and are making trouble. They aren't really busy. Instead, they are bothering others. 12 We belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. So we strongly command people like that to settle down. They have to earn the food they eat. 13 Brothers and sisters, don't ever get tired of doing what is good.
14 Keep an eye on anyone who doesn't obey the teachings in our letter. Don't have anything to do with that person. Then they will feel ashamed. 15 But don't think of them as an enemy. Instead, warn them as you would warn another believer.
16 May the Lord who gives peace give you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all of you.
17 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own handwriting. That's how I prove that I am the author of all my letters. I always do it that way.
18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
3:6–18 Paul did different kinds of work. As an apostle, he shared the good news about Jesus with others. He didn't receive money for this. He also worked with his hands to earn what he needed to live. Those who travelled with Paul also did both kinds of work. That was the example they had taught the Thessalonians. Yet some in the church had stopped doing any work. People who belong to Jesus must work hard to earn what they need. And they must never stop doing what is good. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to continue living in the ways he had taught them. Paul's letters always ended in his own handwriting. He did this to help the believers trust his teaching.