2 Timothy 1–2

Greeting

1Paul, ^aan apostle of Christ Jesus ^bby the will of God according to ^cthe promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

²To Timothy, ^dmy beloved child:

^eGrace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

^3fI thank God ^gwhom I serve, as did my ancestors, ^hwith a clear conscience, as I remember you ⁱconstantly in my prayers night and day. ^4jAs I remember your tears, ^kI long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵I am reminded of ^lyour sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and ^myour mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶For this reason I remind you ⁿto fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷for God gave us ^oa spirit not of fear but ^pof power and love and self-control.

⁸Therefore ^qdo not be ashamed of ^rthe testimony about our Lord, nor of ^sme his prisoner, but ^tshare in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ^9uwho saved us and ^vcalled us to¹ a holy calling, ^wnot because of our works but because of ^vhis own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^xbefore the ages began,^{2 10}and which now has ^ybeen manifested through ^zthe appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, ^awho abolished death and ^bbrought life and ^cimmortality to light through the gospel, ^11dfor which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ^12ewhich is why I suffer as I do. But ^fI am not ashamed, for ^gI know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until ^hthat day ⁱwhat has been entrusted to me.^{3 13j}Follow ^kthe pattern of ^lthe sound⁴ words ^mthat you have heard from me, in ⁿthe faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴By the Holy Spirit ^owho dwells within us, guard ⁱthe good deposit entrusted to you.

¹⁵You are aware that ^pall who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶May the Lord grant mercy to ^qthe household of Onesiphorus, for he often ^rrefreshed me and was not ashamed of ^smy chains, ¹⁷but when he arrived in Rome ^the searched for me earnestly and found me— ¹⁸may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on ^uthat day!—and you well know all the service he ^vrendered at Ephesus.

A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

2You then, ^wmy child, ^xbe strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ²and ^ywhat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses ^zentrust to faithful men,^{1 a}who will be able to teach others also. ^3bShare in suffering as ^ca good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴No soldier ^dgets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ^5eAn athlete is not ^fcrowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶It is ^gthe hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, ^hrisen from the dead, the ⁱoffspring of David, ^jas preached in my gospel, ^9kfor which I am suffering, ^lbound with chains as a criminal. But ^mthe word of God is not bound! ¹⁰Therefore ⁿI endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain ^othe salvation that is in Christ Jesus with ^peternal glory. ¹¹The saying is ^qtrustworthy, for:

^rIf we have died with him, we will also ^slive with him;

^12tif we endure, we will also reign with him;

^uif we deny him, he also will deny us;

^13vif we are faithless, ^whe remains faithful—

for ^xhe cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God

¹⁴Remind them of these things, and ^ycharge them before God^{2 z}not to quarrel about words, ^awhich does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,³ a worker ^bwho has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶But ^cavoid ^dirreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are ^eHymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸who have swerved from the truth, ^fsaying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. ¹⁹But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ^g“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone ^hwho names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

²⁰Now in ⁱa great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, ^jsome for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹Therefore, ^kif anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,⁴ he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ^lready for every good work.

²²So ^mflee ⁿyouthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with ^othose who call on the Lord ^pfrom a pure heart. ²³Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant ^qcontroversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴And ^rthe Lord’s servant⁵ must not be quarrelsome but ^skind to everyone, ^table to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵correcting his opponents ^uwith gentleness. God ^vmay perhaps grant them repentance ^wleading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from ^xthe snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.