Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
- BSB We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.
- NKJV Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
- NASB Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread.
- NLT We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul commands and urges such people in the Lord Jesus to settle down, work quietly, and earn their own bread. The remedy for disorderly idleness is honest, peaceful labor.
Overview
He pairs firm command with warm exhortation "in the Lord Jesus Christ," seeking restoration rather than mere rebuke. The call to work "with quietness" directly answers the meddling of verse 11. Earning one's own living is presented as a normal expression of Christian responsibility and love for the community.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Eph 4:28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
- 1 Th 4:11And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
- 2 Th 3:8Neither 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:
- Prov 17:1Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
- Eccl 4:6Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
- Luke 11:3Give us day by day our daily bread.
- 1 Th 4:1Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
- Gen 49:14–15Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:
- 1 Tim 2:2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
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Christ at the center
Christ will be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, glorified in his saints, overthrowing the lawless one — the certain hope that steadies the suffering church.
How 2 Thessalonians 3:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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