Knox Bible

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And now, brethren, let us have your prayers, that the word of the Lord may run its course triumphantly with us, as it does with you;

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and that we may be preserved from malicious interference; the faith does not reach all hearts.✻

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But the Lord keeps faith with us; he will strengthen you, and keep you from all harm.

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We are sure of you in the Lord, sure that you are doing and will do as we bid you;

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may the Lord direct you where the love of God and the patience of Christ shew you the way.

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Only, brethren, we charge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to have nothing to do with any brother who lives a vagabond life, contrary to the tradition which we handed on;✻

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you do not need to be reminded how, on our visit, we set you an example to be imitated; we were no vagabonds ourselves.

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We would not even be indebted to you for our daily bread, we earned it in weariness and toil, working with our hands, night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you;

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not that we are obliged to do so, but as a model for your own behaviour; you were to follow our example.

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The charge we gave you on our visit was that the man who refuses to work must be left to starve.

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And now we are told that there are those among you who live in idleness, neglecting their own business to mind other people’s.

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We charge all such, we appeal to them in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn their bread by going on calmly with their work.

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For yourselves, brethren, never weary of doing good.

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If anybody refuses to listen to what we have said in our letter, he is to be a marked man; avoid his company till he is ashamed of himself,

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correcting him like a brother, not treating him as an enemy.

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And may the Lord of peace grant you peace everywhere and at all times; the Lord be with you all.

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Here is Paul’s greeting in his own hand; the signature which is to be found in all my letters; this is my handwriting.

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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.