2 Thessalonians 3:14

Revised Standard Version

If any one refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take note of that person; don’t associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

King James Version (1611)
And if any man obey not our word, by this Epistle note that man, and haue no company with him, that he may be ashamed,

King James Version
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

English Standard Version
If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.

New American Standard Bible
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person so as not to associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.

New Century Version
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.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.

Legacy Standard Bible
And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take special note of that person to not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Contemporary English Version
Be on your guard against any followers who refuse to obey what we have written in this letter. Put them to shame by not having anything to do with them.

Complete Jewish Bible
Furthermore, if anyone does not obey what we are saying in this letter, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed.

Darby Translation
But if any one obey not our word by the letter, mark that man, and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed of himself;

Easy-to-Read Version
If there are some there who refuse to do what we tell you in this letter, remember who they are. Don't associate with them. Then maybe they will feel ashamed.

Geneva Bible (1587)
If any man obey not this our saying in this letter, note him, & haue no company with him, that he may be ashamed:

George Lamsa Translation
And if any man does not obey our word in this epistle, note that man, and do not associate with him, that he may be ashamed.

Good News Translation
It may be that some there will not obey the message we send you in this letter. If so, take note of them and have nothing to do with them, so that they will be ashamed.

Lexham English Bible
But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note not to associate with him, in order that he may be put to shame.

Literal Translation
But if anyone does not obey our Word through the letter, mark that one, and do not associate with him, that he be shamed.

Amplified Bible
Now if anyone [in the church] does not obey what we say in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be ashamed and repent.

American Standard Version
And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

Bible in Basic English
And if any man does not give attention to what we have said in this letter, take note of that man, and keep away from him, so that he may be shamed.

Hebrew Names Version
If any man doesn't obey our word by this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

International Standard Version
If anyone does not obey what we sayour word">[fn] in this letter, take note of him. Have nothing to do with him so that he will feel ashamed.Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 5:9,11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And if any man hearken not to these our words in the epistle, let this be separate from you, and be not mixed with him, that he be shamed.

Murdock Translation
14 And if any one hearkeneth not to these [fn] words in this epistle, separate that man from you, and have no intimacy with him, that he may be ashamed.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yf any man obey not our doctrine, signifie hym by an epistle, and haue no companie with hym, that he maye be ashamed.

English Revised Version
And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, that ye have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

World English Bible
If any man doesn't obey our word by this letter, note that man, that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

Weymouth's New Testament
and if any one refuses to obey these our written instructions, mark that man and hold no communication with him--so that he may be made to feel ashamed.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if ony man obeie not to oure word bi epistle, marke ye him, and comyne ye not with hym, that he be schamed;

Update Bible Version
And if any man does not obey our word by this epistle, note that man, that you do not associate with him, to the end that he may be ashamed.

Webster's Bible Translation
And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.

New English Translation
But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed.

New King James Version
And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.

New Living Translation
Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed.

New Life Bible
If anyone does not want to listen to what we say in this letter, remember who he is and stay away from him. In that way, he will be put to shame.

New Revised Standard
Take note of those who do not obey what we say in this letter; have nothing to do with them, so that they may be ashamed.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, if anyone be not giving ear unto our word through means of this letter, on this one, set a mark - not to be mixing yourselves up with him, - that he may be reproved;

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Yf eny man obey not oure sayinges sende vs worde of him by a letter: and have no copanie with him that he maye be ashamed.

Young's Literal Translation
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,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf eny man obey not oure sayenges, sende vs worde of him by a letter, and haue nothinge to do with him, yt he maye be ashamed.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and if any one should disregard what we have prescrib'd, signify it to us by letter, and don't converse with him, that he may be put to shame.

THE MESSAGE
If anyone refuses to obey our clear command written in this letter, don't let him get by with it. Point out such a person and refuse to subsidize his freeloading. Maybe then he'll think twice. But don't treat him as an enemy. Sit him down and talk about the problem as someone who cares.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Pay attention to those who roll their eyes at what we have to say in this letter. They've made their choice not to be a part of your crew so treat 'em as such. I hope they do feel ashamed and left out.

Contextual Overview

⁶ Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ we did not eat any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. ⁹ It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. ¹² Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living. ¹³ Brethren, do not be weary in well-doing. ¹⁴ If any one refuses to obey what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Do not look on him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

obey: Deuteronomy 16:12, Proverbs 5:13, Zephaniah 3:2, 2 Corinthians 2:9, 2 Corinthians 7:15, 2 Corinthians 10:6, Philippians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:8, Philemon 1:21, Hebrews 13:17

by this epistle, note that man: or, signify that man by an epistle, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, Matthew 18:17, Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 5:9, 1 Corinthians 5:11, Titus 3:10

that he: Numbers 12:14, Ezra 9:6, Psalms 83:16, Jeremiah 3:3, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 31:18-20, Ezekiel 16:61-63, Ezekiel 36:31, Ezekiel 36:32, Luke 15:18-21

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:3 - pronounce Leviticus 13:46 - without Deuteronomy 20:18 - General Job 11:3 - make thee Luke 17:4 - I repent 1 Corinthians 5:5 - that 2 Corinthians 2:7 - ye Ephesians 5:11 - no Philippians 3:17 - and mark 1 Thessalonians 5:27 - that 2 Thessalonians 2:15 - whether 2 Timothy 3:5 - from Titus 2:8 - may

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:20
The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.

Leviticus 20:25
You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.

Psalms 72:9
May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!

Isaiah 29:4
Then deep from the earth you shall speak, from low in the dust your words shall come; your voice shall come from the ground like the voice of a ghost, and your speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Isaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the LORD."

Micah 7:17
they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds, they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God, and they shall fear because of thee.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if any man obey not our word,.... Of command, to work quietly, and eat his own bread, now signified "by this epistle", particularly in 2 Thessalonians 3:12,

note that man; some read this clause in connection with the preceding phrase, "by this epistle", or by an epistle; and so the Ethiopic version, "show", or "signify him by an epistle"; that is, give us notice of it by an epistle, that we may take him under our cognizance, and severely chastise him, according to the power and authority given us by Christ; but that phrase rather belongs to the preceding words: and the clause here respects the notice the church should take of such a person; not in a private way, or merely by way of admonition and reproof, such as is given before rejection from communion; but by the black mark of excommunication; lay him under censure, exclude him from your communion, put a brand upon him as a scabbed sheep, and separate him from the flock; and so the Syriac version renders it, יתפרש, "let him be separated from you" and this sense is confirmed by what follows,

and have no company with him; as little as can be in common and civil conversation, lest he should take encouragement from thence to continue in his sin, and lest others should think it is connived at; and much less at the Lord's table, or in a sacred and religious conversation, or in a way of church fellowship and communion:

that he may be ashamed; that he may have his eyes turned in him, as the word signifies, and he may be brought to a sight and sense of his sin, and be filled with shame for it, and loath it, and himself on the account of it, and truly repent of it, and forsake it; and this is the end of excommunication, at least one end, and a principal end of it, to recover persons out of the snare of the devil, and return them from the error of their ways: so the Jews say s,

"in matters of heaven (of God or religion), if a man does not return privately, מכלימין, they "put him to shame" publicly; and publish his sin, and reproach him to his face, and despise and set him at nought until he returns to do well.''

s Maimon, Hilch. Deyot, c. 6. sect. 8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And if any man obey not our word by this epistle - Margin, “or signify that man by an epistle.” According to the marginal reading this would mean “signify, mark out, or designate that man to me by an epistle.” The difference is merely whether we unite the words “by the epistle” with what goes before, or what follows. The Greek would admit of either construction (Winer, p. 93), but it seems to me that the construction in the text is the correct one, because:

(1)The requirement was to proceed to discipline such a man by withdrawing from him;

(2)In order to do this it was not necessary that the case should be made known to Paul, for there was no supposable difficulty in it, and the effect would be only needless delay;

1. Paul regarded the right of discipline as residing in the church itself, and did not require that cases should be referred to him to determine; see the notes on 1 Corinthians 5:2-4.

(4)Though the Greek will admit of either construction, yet it rather favors this; see Oldhhausen, in loc. Note that man. The word here used, means to mark; to sign; to note with marks; and the idea is, set such a mark upon him that he shall be shunned; that is, withdraw all Christian fellowship from him.

And have no company with him - The Greek word here means, to mix up together; then to mingle together with; to have contact with. The idea is that they were not to mingle with him as a Christian brother, or as one of their own number. They were not to show that they regarded him as a worthy member of the church, or as having a claim to its privileges. The extent of their discipline was, that they were to withdraw from him; see the 2 Thessalonians 3:6 note, and Matthew 18:17 note; compare 2 John 1:10-11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. If any man obey not — They had disobeyed his word in the first epistle, and the Church still continued to bear with them; now he tells the Church, if they still continue to disregard what is said to them, and particularly his word by this second epistle, they are to mark them as being totally incorrigible, and have no fellowship with them.

Some construe the words δια της επιστολης with τουτον σημειουσθε. Give me information of that man by a letter-let me hear of his continued obstinacy, and send me his name. This was probably in order to excommunicate him, and deliver him over to Satan for the destruction of the body, that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. The words of the original will bear either construction, that in the text, or that given above.