2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

3:7 For you know yourselves how you must imitate us, because we did not behave without discipline ¹  among you, 3:8 and we did not eat anyone’s food without paying. ²  Instead, in toil and drudgery we worked ³  night and day in order not to burden any of you. 3:9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give ourselves as an example for you to imitate. ⁴  3:10 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.” 3:11 For we hear that some among you are living an undisciplined life, ⁵  not doing their own work but meddling in the work of others. ⁶  3:12 Now such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and so provide their own food to eat. ⁷ 

¹ tn This is the verbal form of the words occurring in vv. 6 and 11, meaning “to act out of line, in an unruly way.”

² tn Grk “we did not eat bread freely from anyone.”

³ tn Grk “but working,” as a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started with the word “Instead” in the translation.

⁴ tn Grk “an example for you to imitate us.”

⁵ tn Grk “walking in an undisciplined way” (“walking” is a common NT idiom for one’s way of life or conduct).

⁶ tn There is a play on words in the Greek: “working at nothing, but working around,” “not keeping busy but being busybodies.”

⁷ tn Grk “that by working quietly they may eat their own bread.”