2 Thessalonians 3:12 (DRB)

Passage

Now we charge them that are such and beseech them by the Lord Jesus Christ that, working with silence, they would eat their own bread.

Nearby Context

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For also, when we were with you, this we declared to you: that, if any man will not work, neither let him eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 For we have heard there are some among you who walk disorderly: working not at all, but curiously meddling.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 Now we charge them that are such and beseech them by the Lord Jesus Christ that, working with silence, they would eat their own bread.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 But you, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "charge", "such", "beseech", "lord", "jesus", "christ", "working", and "silence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "charge" and "such", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "For we have heard there are some..." into verse 13's "But you brethren be not weary in...", so "charge" and "such" belong inside that flow. In 2 Thessalonians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "charge" and "such" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.