2 Thessalonians 3:13
“But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul encourages the rest of the believers not to grow tired of doing good.
What Does 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Mean?
Having corrected the idle, Paul now turns to the faithful majority with a gentle word of encouragement: "be not weary in well doing." The contrast is deliberate. While some had refused to work at all, the rest were to keep on doing good without losing heart. The danger for the diligent is not idleness but discouragement.
It is easy to grow tired of doing good, especially when others are not pulling their weight or when good deeds seem unappreciated. Paul anticipates this fatigue and heads it off. The faithful must not let the failures of the idle, or the slow returns of well-doing, dampen their goodness. There is quiet realism and great kindness in this short verse. Doing good is meant to be sustained over the long haul, and Paul knows it can wear on the soul. So he steadies the weary-hearted with a simple charge to persevere in the good they are already doing.