For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

For yourselves know how ye ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;

For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we were not disorderly among you;

For ye know yourselves how ye ought to imitate us, because we have not walked disorderly among you;

for yourselves have known how it behoveth you to imitate us, because we did not act disorderly among you;

For you yourselves know that it is your duty to follow our example. There was no disorder in our lives among you,

For you yourselves are used to taking us as your example, because our life among you was ruled by order,

For you yourselves know the manner in which you ought to imitate us. For we were not disorderly among you.

For you know well that you ought to follow our example. When we were with you, our life was not ill-ordered,

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us - You know what you should do in order to imitate us.
For we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you - See the notes on 1-Thessalonians 2:10.

We behaved not ourselves disorderly - Ουκ ητακτησαμεν· We did not go out of our rank - we kept our place, and discharged all its duties.

(6) For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
(6) Lest he might seem to deal harshly with them, he sets forth himself as an example, who besides his travail in preaching, laboured with his hands, which he says he was not bound to do.

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us,.... The apostle goes on to dissuade from that which denominates persons disorderly walkers, and exposes them to the censure of the church, and that partly by the example of the apostles, and partly by their command. He appeals to them, to their knowledge and judgment, it being a thing well known to them, that they ought to walk as they had the apostles for ensamples; for who should they follow but their spiritual fathers, shepherds, and guides? and especially so far as they were followers of Christ, as they were, in the case referred unto, working with their own hands:
for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; they could appeal to them as witnesses, and God also, how holily, justly, and unblamably they walked among them; see 1-Thessalonians 2:10 and particularly, that they did not live an idle and inactive life among them.

how ye ought to follow us--how ye ought to live so as to "imitate (so the Greek for 'follow') us" (compare Notes, see on 1-Corinthians 11:1; 1-Thessalonians 1:6).