At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.

Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but being busybodies.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Pray without ceasing.

If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

Whoever is slothful in his work is brother to him who destroys.

We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.

Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving.

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, . . .

nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.

I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”

And we continually thank God because, when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the true word of God—the word which is now at work in you who believe.

Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate. For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” . . .

For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and complacent; they did not help the poor and needy.

Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.

The rich and the poor have this in common: The LORD is Maker of them all.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.

He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid irreverent, empty chatter and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”

As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel . . .

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.

As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left. Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool. If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest. There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler: . . .

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

But require of them the same quota of bricks as before; do not reduce it. For they are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man,” she said.

Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.

And Adam again had relations with his wife, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another seed in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John (although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples), He left Judea and returned to Galilee. Now He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. . . .

They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us as He spoke with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.