2 Thessalonians 3:8
New International Version
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

New Living Translation
We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.

English Standard Version
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.

Berean Standard Bible
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

Berean Literal Bible
nor did we eat bread from anyone without payment, but in labor and toil, working night and day in order not to be burdensome to any of you,

King James Bible
Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

New King James Version
nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,

New American Standard Bible
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;

NASB 1995
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;

NASB 1977
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you;

Legacy Standard Bible
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you;

Amplified Bible
nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we worked night and day [to pay our own way] so that we would not be a financial burden on any of you [for our support];

Christian Standard Bible
we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

American Standard Version
neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Neither have we eaten the bread of any of you without charge, but we were working with labor and toil, by night and by day, that we would not be a burden to anyone of you,

Contemporary English Version
and we didn't accept food from anyone without paying for it. We didn't want to be a burden to any of you, so night and day we worked as hard as we could.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Neither did we eat any man's bread for nothing, but in labour and in toil we worked night and day, lest we should be chargeable to any of you.

English Revised Version
neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labour and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
We didn't eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, we worked hard and struggled night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.

Good News Translation
We did not accept anyone's support without paying for it. Instead, we worked and toiled; we kept working day and night so as not to be an expense to any of you.

International Standard Version
We did not eat anyone's food without paying for it. Instead, with toil and labor we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.

Literal Standard Version
nor did we eat bread of anyone for nothing, but in labor and in travail, working night and day, not to be chargeable to any of you;

Majority Standard Bible
nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

New American Bible
nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you.

NET Bible
and we did not eat anyone's food without paying. Instead, in toil and drudgery we worked night and day in order not to burden any of you.

New Revised Standard Version
and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.

New Heart English Bible
neither did we eat bread from anyone's hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you;

Webster's Bible Translation
Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught; but wrought with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

Weymouth New Testament
nor did we eat any one's bread without paying for it, but we laboured and toiled, working hard night and day in order not to be a burden to any of you.

World English Bible
neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.

Young's Literal Translation
nor for nought did we eat bread of any one, but in labour and in travail, night and day working, not to be chargeable to any of you;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warning against Irresponsibility
7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. Instead, in labor and toil, we worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9Not that we lack this right, but we wanted to offer ourselves as an example for you to imitate.…

Cross References
Nehemiah 5:18
Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.

Acts 18:3
and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.

1 Corinthians 9:4
Have we no right to food and to drink?

2 Corinthians 11:27
in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

1 Thessalonians 2:9
Surely you recall, brothers, our labor and toil. We worked night and day so that we would not be a burden to anyone while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.


Treasury of Scripture

Neither did we eat any man's bread for nothing; but worked with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:

eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:12
Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

Proverbs 31:27
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

but.

Acts 18:3
And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

Acts 20:34
Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

1 Corinthians 4:12
And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:

night.

1 Thessalonians 2:9
For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

Jump to Previous
Bread Burden Chargeable Contrary Eat Eaten Food Hand Hard Hardship Kept Labor Laboring Naught Night Nought One's Order Paying Toil Toiled Toiling Travail Trouble Without Worked Working Wrought
Jump to Next
Bread Burden Chargeable Contrary Eat Eaten Food Hand Hard Hardship Kept Labor Laboring Naught Night Nought One's Order Paying Toil Toiled Toiling Travail Trouble Without Worked Working Wrought
2 Thessalonians 3
1. Paul craves their prayers for himself;
3. testifies what confidence he has in them;
5. makes request to God in their behalf;
6. gives them various precepts, especially to shun idleness, and ill company;
16. and then concludes with prayer and salutation.














(8) Neither.--They might have thought it possible to live on others without incurring so serious a charge as "disorderliness."

Eat any man's bread.--Still more literally, eat bread from any man--i.e., "from any man's table." St. Paul always becomes picturesque and vivid in a passage of this kind, and generally Hebraistic ("eat bread," 2Samuel 9:7, and often). "For nought" is literally at a gift. There is a flavour of scorn in St. Paul's disclaimer of such a parasite's life.

Wrought.--In the original it is the participle, "working," which better suits the rapid flow of the sentences. The order also is slightly more forcible: "We ate bread from no man's table at a gift, but in toil and travail, all night and day labouring that we," &c. To "be chargeable" means more than "to make you pay": it contains the notion of burdensome expense.

Verse 8. - Neither did we eat any man's bread; a Hebraism for "neither did we get our sustenance," as bread was the staff of life. For nought; gratis, free of expense. But wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable unto any of you. The apostle makes the same declaration in his First Epistle, expressed in almost similar terms: "For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail; for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
nor
οὐδὲ (oude)
Conjunction
Strong's 3761: Neither, nor, not even, and not. From ou and de; not however, i.e. Neither, nor, not even.

did we eat
ἐφάγομεν (ephagomen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 5315: A primary verb; to eat.

anyone’s
τινος (tinos)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

food
ἄρτον (arton)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

without paying for it.
δωρεὰν (dōrean)
Adverb
Strong's 1432: As a free gift, without payment, freely. Accusative case of dorea as adverb; gratuitously.

Instead,
ἀλλ’ (all’)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

labor
κόπῳ (kopō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2873: From kopto; a cut, i.e. toil, literally or figuratively; by implication, pains.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

toil,
μόχθῳ (mochthō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3449: Wearisome labor, toil, hardship. From the base of mogis; toil, i.e. sadness.

we worked
ἐργαζόμενοι (ergazomenoi)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2038: To work, trade, perform, do, practice, commit, acquire by labor.

night
νυκτὸς (nyktos)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3571: The night, night-time. A primary word; 'night'.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

day
ἡμέρας (hēmeras)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

so that
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

we would not be a burden
ἐπιβαρῆσαί (epibarēsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1912: To put a burden on, be burdensome. From epi and bareo; to be heavy upon, i.e. to be expensive to; figuratively, to be severe towards.

to any
τινα (tina)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

of you.
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.


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NT Letters: 2 Thessalonians 3:8 Neither did we eat bread from anyone's (2 Thess. 2 Thes. 2Th iiTh ii th)
2 Thessalonians 3:7
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