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2 Thessalonians 3:6
ESV Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
NIV In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
NASB Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us.
CSB Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister who is idle and does not live according to the tradition received from us.
NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us.
KJV Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

What does 2 Thessalonians 3:6 mean?

In this verse Paul instructs his readers to avoid any Christian who makes a practice of being idle instead of heeding what Paul had commanded. His command was intended to exclude the offenders from fellowship of other church members, not necessarily a rejection of their membership. Paul considered idleness so serious a behavior that he claims the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ for his command. He had previously written to the Thessalonians about idleness. He had instructed them to admonish the idle (1 Thessalonian 5:14). Apparently, the admonishing had not taken effect, so now Paul commands the Thessalonians to take stronger action.

As a former Pharisee who studied under the famous rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Paul was well acquainted with the Old Testament's frequent denunciation of idleness. (Proverbs 6:6; 19:15; 24:33–34). Unchecked idleness often allows a person to fill their free time with unhelpful practices, such as gossip and bickering. In other words, those who are "idle" with respect to legitimate effort are not busy, so they tend to be busybodies (2 Thessalonians 3:11).
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