2 Thessalonians 3

Pray for Us

1 And now, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord’s teaching will continue to spread quickly and that people will give honor to that teaching, just as happened with you.

2 And pray that we will be protected from stubborn and evil people, because not all people believe.
3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and will protect you from the Evil One.4 The Lord makes us feel sure that you are doing and will continue to do the things we told you.

5 May the Lord lead your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s patience.

The Duty to Work

6 Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we command you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work and does not follow the teaching we gave you.7 You yourselves know that you should live as we live. We were not lazy when we were with you.8 And when we ate another person’s food, we always paid for it. We worked very hard night and day so we would not be an expense to any of you.9 We had the right to ask you to help us, but we worked to take care of ourselves so we would be an example for you to follow.

10 When we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Anyone who refuses to work should not eat.”
11 We hear that some people in your group refuse to work. They do nothing but busy themselves in other people’s lives.12 We command those people and beg them in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and earn their own food.

13 But you, brothers and sisters, never become tired of doing good.
14 If some people do not obey what we tell you in this letter, then take note of them. Have nothing to do with them so they will feel ashamed.

15 But do not treat them as enemies. Warn them as fellow believers.

Final Words

16 Now may the Lord of peace give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

17 I, Paul, end this letter now in my own handwriting. All my letters have this to show they are from me. This is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

1 Timothy 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope.

2 To Timothy, a true child to me because you believe:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Warning Against False Teaching

3 I asked you to stay longer in Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so you could command some people there to stop teaching false things.4 Tell them not to spend their time on stories that are not true and on long lists of names in family histories. These things only bring arguments; they do not help God’s work, which is done in faith.5 The purpose of this command is for people to have love, a love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a true faith.6 Some people have missed these things and turned to useless talk.

7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand either what they are talking about or what they are sure about.
8 But we know that the law is good if someone uses it lawfully.9 We also know that the law is not made for good people but for those who are against the law and for those who refuse to follow it. It is for people who are against God and are sinful, who are unholy and ungodly, who kill their fathers and mothers, who murder,10 who take part in sexual sins, who have sexual relations with people of the same sex, who sell slaves, who tell lies, who speak falsely, and who do anything against the true teaching of God.

11 That teaching is part of the Good News of the blessed God that he gave me to tell.

Thanks for God’s Mercy

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me strength, because he trusted me and gave me this work of serving him.13 In the past I spoke against Christ and persecuted him and did all kinds of things to hurt him. But God showed me mercy, because I did not know what I was doing. I did not believe.

14 But the grace of our Lord was fully given to me, and with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 What I say is true, and you should fully accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.16 But I was given mercy so that in me, the worst of all sinners, Christ Jesus could show that he has patience without limit. His patience with me made me an example for those who would believe in him and have life forever.

17 To the King that rules forever, who will never die, who cannot be seen, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 Timothy, my child, I am giving you a command that agrees with the prophecies that were given about you in the past. I tell you this so you can follow them and fight the good fight.19 Continue to have faith and do what you know is right. Some people have rejected this, and their faith has been shipwrecked.20 Hymenaeus and Alexander have done that, and I have given them to Satan so they will learn not to speak against God.

1 Timothy 2

Some Rules for Men and Women

1 First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him.2 Pray for rulers and for all who have authority so that we can have quiet and peaceful lives full of worship and respect for God.3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior,4 who wants all people to be saved and to know the truth.5 There is one God and one mediator so that human beings can reach God. That way is through Christ Jesus, who is himself human.6 He gave himself as a payment to free all people. He is proof that came at the right time.

7 That is why I was chosen to tell the Good News and to be an apostle. (I am telling the truth; I am not lying.) I was chosen to teach those who are not Jews to believe and to know the truth.

8 So, I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up their hands in a holy manner, without anger and arguments.
9 Also, women should wear proper clothes that show respect and self-control, not using braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.

10 Instead, they should do good deeds, which is right for women who say they worship God.
11 Let a woman learn by listening quietly and being ready to cooperate in everything.12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to listen quietly,13 because Adam was formed first and then Eve.14 And Adam was not tricked, but the woman was tricked and became a sinner.15 But she will be saved through having children if she continues in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.