Letters to the Churches

and stedfast is the Lord, who shall establish you, and shall guard you from the evil;

and we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that the things that we command you ye both do and will do;

and the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God, and to the endurance of the Christ.

And we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother disorderly walking, and not after the deliverance that ye received from us,

for yourselves have known how it behoveth you to imitate us, because we did not act disorderly among you;

nor for nought did we eat bread of any one, but in labour and in travail, night and day working, not to be chargeable to any of you;

not because we have not authority, but that ourselves a pattern we might give to you, to imitate us;

for even when we were with you, this we did command you, that if any one is not willing to work, neither let him eat,

for we hear of certain walking among you disorderly, nothing working, but over working,

and such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness working, their own bread they may eat;

and ye, brethren, may ye not be weary doing well,

and if any one do not obey our word through the letter, this one note ye, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed,

and as an enemy count him not, but admonish ye him as a brother;

and may the Lord of the peace Himself give to you the peace always in every way; the Lord is with you all!

The salutation by the hand of me, Paul, which is a sign in every letter; thus I write;

the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you all! Amen.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to a command of God our Saviour, and of the Lord Jesus Christ our hope,

to Timotheus--genuine child in faith: Grace, kindness, peace, from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord,

according as I did exhort thee to remain in Ephesus--I going on to Macedonia--that thou mightest charge certain not to teach any other thing,

nor to give heed to fables and endless genealogies, that cause questions rather than the building up of God that is in faith: --

And the end of the charge is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned,

from which certain, having swerved, did turn aside to vain discourse,

willing to be teachers of law, not understanding either the things they say, nor concerning what they asseverate,

and we have known that the law is good, if any one may use it lawfully;

having known this, that for a righteous man law is not set, but for lawless and insubordinate persons, ungodly and sinners, impious and profane, parricides and matricides, men-slayers,