For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.

For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busybodies.

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

For we hear that there are some walking among you disorderly, not working at all, but busybodies.

For we hear that there are some who walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies.

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

For we hear that there are some of you who live disorderly lives and are mere idle busybodies.

For it has come to our ears that there are some among you whose behaviour is uncontrolled, who do no work at all, but are over-interested in the business of others.

For we have heard that there are some among you who act disruptively, not working at all, but eagerly meddling.

We hear that there are among you people who are living ill-ordered lives, and who, instead of attending to their own business, are mere busybodies.

We hear that there are some among you. It is probable that this kind of drones were, as it were, the seed of idle monkhood. For, from the very beginning, there were some who, under pretext of religion, either made free with the tables of others, or craftily drew to themselves the substance of the simple. They had also, even in the time of Augustine, come to prevail so much, that he was constrained to write a book expressly against idle monks, where he complains with good reason of their pride, because, despising the admonition of the Apostle, they not only excuse themselves on the ground of infirmity, but they wish to appear holier than all others, on the ground that they are exempt from labors. He inveighs, with good reason, against this unseemliness, that, while the senators are laborious, the workman, or person in humble life, does not merely live in idleness, [1] but would fain have his indolence pass for sanctity. Such are his views. [2] In the mean time, however, the evil has increased to such an extent, that idle bellies occupy nearly the tenth part of the world, whose only religion is to be well stuffed, and to have exemption from all annoyance [3] of labor. And this manner of life they dignify, sometimes with the name of the Order, sometimes with that of the Rule, of this or that personage. [4] But what does the Spirit say, on the other hand, by the mouth of Paul? He pronounces them all to be irregular and disorderly, by whatever name of distinction they may be dignified. It is not necessary to relate here how much the idle life of monks has invariably displeased persons of sounder judgment. That is a memorable saying of an old monk, which is recorded by Socrates in the Eighth Book of the Tripartite History -- that he who does not labor with his hands is like a plunderer. [5] I do not mention other instances, nor is it necessary. Let this statement of the Apostle suffice us, in which he declares that they are dissolute, and in a manner lawless. Doing nothing. In the Greek participles there is, an elegant (prosonomasia) play upon words, which I have attempted in some manner to imitate, by rendering it as meaning that they do nothing, but have enough to do in the way of curiosity. [6] He censures, however, a fault with which idle persons are, for the most part, chargeable, that, by unseasonably bustling about, they give trouble to themselves and to others. For we see, that those who have nothing to do are much more fatigued by doing nothing, than if they were employing themselves in some very important work; they run hither and thither; wherever they go, they have the appearance of great fatigue; they gather all sorts of reports, and they put them in a confused way into circulation. You would say that they bore the weight of a kingdom upon their shoulders. Could there be a more remarkable exemplification of this than there is in the monks? For what class of men have less repose? Where does curiosity reign more extensively? Now, as this disease has a ruinous effect upon the public, Paul admonishes that it ought not to be encouraged by idleness.

Footnotes

1 - "Les senateurs et les nobles ayent la main a la besogne, et cependant les manouuriers et mechaniques, non seulement viuront en oisiuete;" -- "The senators and the nobles have their hand in the work, and in the mean time the workmen and mechanics will not only live in idleness."

2 - "Voyla que dit S. Augustin;" -- "There you have what St. Augustine says."

3 - "Et solicitude;" -- "And anxiety."

4 - "D'vn tel sainct, ou d'vn tel;" -- "Of this saint, or that."

5 - "Vn vagabond qui va pillant;" -- "A vagabond that goes a-plundering."

6 - "Nihil eos agere operis, sed curiose satagere."

For we hear - It is not known in what way this was made known to Paul, whether by Timothy, or by some other one. He had no doubt of its truth, and he seems to have been prepared to believe it the more readily from what he saw when he was among them.
Which walk disorderly - See the notes, 2-Thessalonians 3:6.
But are busy-bodies - Compare the 1-Timothy 5:13 note; 1-Peter 4:15 note. That is, they meddled with the affairs of others - a thing which they who have nothing of their own to busy themselves about will be very likely to do. The apostle had seen that there was a tendency to his when he was in Thessalonica, and hence he had commanded them to "do their own business;" 1-Thessalonians 4:11. The injunction, it seems, had availed little, for there is no class of persons who will heed good counsel so little as those who have a propensity to intermeddle with the affairs of others. One of the indispensable things to check this is, that each one should have enough to do himself; and one of the most pestiferous of all persons is he who has nothing to do but to look after the affairs of his neighbors. In times of affliction and want, we should be ready to lend our aid. At other times, we should feel that he can manage his own affairs as well as we can do it for him; or if he cannot, it is his business, not ours. The Greek word used occurs only here, and in 1-Timothy 5:13; compare the notes on Philippians 2:4.

For we hear that there are some - It is very likely that St. Paul kept up some sort of correspondence with the Thessalonian Church; for he had heard every thing that concerned their state, and it was from this information that he wrote his second epistle.
Disorderly - Ατακτως· Out of their rank - not keeping their own place.
Working not at all - Either lounging at home, or becoming religious gossips; μηδεν εργαζομενους, doing nothing.
Busybodies - Περιεργαζομενους· Doing every thing they should not do - impertinent meddlers with other people's business; prying into other people's circumstances and domestic affairs; magnifying or minifying, mistaking or underrating, every thing; newsmongers and telltales; an abominable race, the curse of every neighborhood where they live, and a pest to religious society. There is a fine paronomasia in the above words, and evidently intended by the apostle.

For we hear that there are some which walk among (7) you disorderly, working not at all, (8) but are busybodies.
(7) How great a fault idleness is, he declares in that God created no man in vain or to no purpose, neither is there any to whom he has not allotted as it were a certain position and place. From which it follows, that the order which God has appointed is troubled by the idle, indeed broken, which is great sin and wickedness. (8) He reprehends a vice, which is joined with the former, upon which follows an infinite sort of mischiefs: that is, that there are none more busy in other men's matters, than they who neglect their own.

For we hear that there are some,.... This is the reason of the order or command given in 2-Thessalonians 3:6 for withdrawing from disorderly persons. When the apostle was with them, he observed that there were idle persons among them, and therefore gave orders then, that if they would not work, they should not eat; and in his former epistle, having intelligence that there were still such persons among them, he exhorts them to their duty, and puts the church upon admonishing them; and still information is given him, that there were some such persons yet among them; for as the apostle had the care of all the churches upon him, so he kept a correspondence with them, and by one means or another, by sending messengers to them, or by receiving letters from those he corresponded with, he learned the state of them; and his information was generally good, and what might be depended upon; see 1-Corinthians 1:11 as it was in this case relating to some persons: which walk among you disorderly; and who they were, and which also explains 2-Thessalonians 3:6, are immediately observed: working not at all; at their callings, trades, and businesses in which they were brought up, but lived an idle and lazy life: and this was walking disorderly indeed, even contrary to the order of things before the fall, when man was in a state of innocence; for before sin entered into the world, Adam was put into the garden of Eden to keep and dress it; man was created an active creature, and made for work and business; and to live without, is contrary to the order of creation, as well as to the order of civil societies, and of religious ones, or churches, and even what irrational creatures do not.
But are busy bodies; though they work not at all at their own business, yet are very busy in other men's matters, and have the affairs of kingdoms, and cities, and towns, and neighbourhoods, and churches, and families, upon their hands; which they thrust themselves into, and intermeddle with, though they have no business at all with them: these wander from house to house, and curiously inquire into personal and family affairs, are tattlers, full of prate and talk, and, like the Athenians, spend all their time in telling or hearing new things; and they also speak things which they should not; they carry tales from one to another, and privately whisper things to the disadvantage of their fellow creatures and Christians, and backbite and slander them. These are the pests of nations and neighbourhoods, the plagues of churches, and the scandal of human nature; see 1-Timothy 5:13.

busy bodies--In the Greek the similarity of sound marks the antithesis, "Doing none of their own business, yet overdoing in the business of others." Busy about everyone's business but their own. "Nature abhors a vacuum"; so if not doing one's own business, one is apt to meddle with his neighbor's business. Idleness is the parent of busybodies (1-Timothy 5:13). Contrast 1-Thessalonians 4:11.

We hear. The word was brought, no doubt, by the messenger who returned to him.
Which walk among you disorderly. By doing nothing. It is a sin to be an idler. God requires industry.
Busybodies. "The devil finds some mischief, still, for idle hands to do."
Now . . . such we command. Such are solemnly commanded in the name of Christ to go to work, to live quiet lives, and to support themselves. The idlers were restless and meddlesome.
Be not weary in well doing. Do not get weary of the duties of life, so as to desire an idle life. Discharge all duties faithfully, whether secular or religious.

Doing nothing, but being busybodies - To which idleness naturally disposes.