Bible verses about "employees" | JMNT

²³ "The owner affirms to him, 'Excellent (Well [done])! [You are] a good and trusting (or: loyal; faithful) slave. You were full of faith and trust (or: faithful and trustworthy) upon [the matter of] a few things; I will proceed to place you (set you down; appoint you) upon (= give you responsibility for) many things. Enter at once into your owner's joy!'

¹² "The hireling (hired hand working for wages) – not even being a shepherd [and] the sheep are not his own – continues attentively watching the wolf progressively coming, and proceeds to abandon the sheep and to take flight – and the wolf continues ravenously snatching them away and progressively scattering and dispersing them –

⁴ for it is God's servant (attendant who renders service or does a duty; an aid in dispensing; one who arranges for provision) for you (or: to you), [directing you] into the good (the profitable; the virtuous). Yet if you should be constantly doing the worthless (the evil; the base; the thing of poor quality; the ugly), be fearing with a healthy respect, for it is not purposelessly (aimlessly; vainly) continuing to bear the sword! For it is God's servant, a maintainer of what is right (an obtainer and executor of justice; an avenger) into a fruitful fervor (to a strong personal emotion; unto an angry result; unto [its] personal bent) for (or: in; to) the person constantly practicing or performing the worthless (the ugly; the poor of quality; the evil).

⁹ And now for the owners (lords; masters): be practicing (continually doing) the same toward them, constantly being lax (loosening up) in the threatening, knowing (having seen; being aware) also that their Owner (Lord; Master) as well as yours is continuously existing within [the] atmospheres (or: heavens), and partiality through respect or acceptance of faces (= persons) does not exist alongside of Him.

¹⁰ You see, even when we were face to face with you, we were repeatedly passing on this advice to you, that if a certain person is not continuously willing (or: does not normally want, purpose or intend) to habitually work, let him neither be habitually eating.

¹⁰ "The person [who is] faithful (reliable; trustworthy; loyal) in [the] least (or: smallest) also continues being (or: is) faithful (reliable; trustworthy; loyal) in much; and the person [who is] inequitable (unjust; = dishonest) in [the] least (or: smallest) also continues being (or: is) inequitable (unjust; unfair) in much.

⁵ Slaves: you folks be continually paying attention, listening humbly to and obeying [your] owners (masters) those [being such] in respect to the flesh (= this human condition and natural realm) with fear (or: respect, reverence, = earnestness) and trembling (= concerned focus), joined with singleness (simplicity; uncompoundedness; = pureness of substance) of your heart (= with the core of your being willing one thing [comment: which is Kierkegaard's "the Good"]), as though to (or: as if for; as being in, and with) the Christ, ⁶ not in accord with eye-service (or: in line with slavery to the eyes [of folks watching]; or: = doing it only when being watched) as folks desiring to please men, but rather as slaves of Christ, constantly doing (performing; producing) the will and intent of God from out of [the] soul (= with the whole inner being: mind, will, emotion, life-force; or: = spontaneously) ⁷ with a good disposition (well-mindedness; a good will; a good attitude), habitually serving (or: being; working) as a slave, as for (or: to; in; with) the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ], and not for (or: to) people (humans; mankind), ⁸ having seen and thus knowing (perceiving; being aware; recognizing) that each person, if he or she may do some good thing (perform some virtuous act; produce some excellence and quality), this she, or he, will continue receiving for herself, or himself, for kindly keeping alongside of the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh]: whether slave, whether free. ⁹ And now for the owners (lords; masters): be practicing (continually doing) the same toward them, constantly being lax (loosening up) in the threatening, knowing (having seen; being aware) also that their Owner (Lord; Master) as well as yours is continuously existing within [the] atmospheres (or: heavens), and partiality through respect or acceptance of faces (= persons) does not exist alongside of Him.

¹⁸ for the Scripture is saying, "You shall not muzzle a bull (or: ox) when it is threshing out grain, " [Deut. 25:4] and, "The worker [is] worthy (of equalvalue) of his wages." [Luke 10:7]

¹ Owners (Masters; Lords), continuously hold at your side and present the right (the just; the fair; the equitable) and the equal (what is the same as something else) to and for [your] slaves – [from] having seen, and thus knowing, that you folks also continuously have an Owner (Master; Lord) within heaven (or: [the] atmosphere; [other MSS: {the} heavens {or: atmospheres}]).

²³ Everything – whatever you folks may be habitually doing – be constantly working (doing business; practicing a trade; earning a living) from out of soul (from the whole being: intellect, emotions, will), as to (for; in) the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ] and not for people (to mankind), ²⁴ having seen, and thus, knowing that you folks will receive back from the Lord [Yahweh or Christ] and take away the corresponding compensation of, from and which consists in the enjoyment of the allotted inheritance. Be constantly slaving for Christ, the Owner (Lord; Master) [or, with other MSS, and as an indicative: For you are constantly performing as a slave in (or: by; with) the Lord, in {the} Anointed One]. ²⁵ Certainly, the person habitually doing wrong (constantly acting unjustly or inequitably; repeatedly being unfair and walking contrary to the Way pointed out) will continue receiving in himself what he wrongly does (or: will progressively take for his own dealing what inequity and unfairness he did) – and there is no partiality (favoritism; consideration because of personal appearance or of the face presented; receiving of a facade; taking of personage into account).

²² Slaves, in regard to all things continue submissively hearing, paying attention and being constantly obedient to those [being] owners (masters; lords) on the level and the sphere of flesh (= human, or "earthly," masters) – not within eye-slavery (bondage to eyes; = slavery to doing in order to be seen, or working only when someone is watching), as desiring to please people (or: wanting to be pleasing to people so as to win their favor; human-pleasers), but rather within simplicity (or: singleness) of heart (or: single-hearted sincerity), constantly being folks reverenced by the fear of (or, as a middle: being ones habitually engendering reverence because of respectful fear toward) the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ; p46 & other MSS: God].

⁴ Now to (or: for; with) the person habitually working (practicing a trade; accomplishing a work), the wage (or: pay) is not being logically considered (reckoned; put on an account) as corresponding to (or: in accord with) an undeserved, gratuitous gift (or: grace; a favor), but on the contrary, as commensurate with and coming down from a debt (something owed; an obligation).

⁴ Consider and look to the worker's wage – that having been withheld by you which belongs to those mowing your farms – which constantly utters (or: shouts) a cry, and now the outcries and shouts of those gathering in the harvest have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts (= Yahweh of Armies)!

²³ Everything – whatever you folks may be habitually doing – be constantly working (doing business; practicing a trade; earning a living) from out of soul (from the whole being: intellect, emotions, will), as to (for; in) the Lord [= Yahweh or Christ] and not for people (to mankind),