2 Timothy 1–4

Chapter 1

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

¹Paul, ^aan apostle of ^bChrist Jesus ^1cby the will of God, according to the promise of ^dlife in Christ Jesus,

²To ^aTimothy, my beloved ^1bson: ^cGrace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

^3aI thank God, whom I ^bserve with a ^cclear conscience ¹the way my forefathers did, ^das I constantly remember you in my ²prayers night and day,

^4alonging to see you, ^beven as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.

⁵¹For I am mindful of the ^asincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and ^byour mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.

⁶For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh ^athe gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

⁷For God has not given us a ^aspirit of ¹timidity, but of power and love and ²discipline.

⁸Therefore ^ado not be ashamed of the ^btestimony of our Lord or of me ^cHis prisoner, but join with me in ^dsuffering for the ^egospel according to the power of God,

⁹who has ^asaved us and ^bcalled us with a holy ^ccalling, ^dnot according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in ^eChrist Jesus from ^fall eternity,

¹⁰but ^anow has been revealed by the ^bappearing of our Savior ^cChrist Jesus, who ^dabolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

^11afor which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

¹²For this reason I also suffer these things, but ^aI am not ashamed; for I know ^bwhom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to ^cguard what I have entrusted to Him ¹until ^dthat day.

^131aRetain the ^bstandard of ^csound words ^dwhich you have heard from me, in the ^efaith and love which are in ^fChrist Jesus.

¹⁴Guard, through the Holy Spirit who ^adwells in us, the ^1btreasure which has been entrusted to you.

¹⁵You are aware of the fact that all who are in ^1aAsia ^bturned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶The Lord grant mercy to ^athe house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and ^bwas not ashamed of my ^1cchains;

¹⁷but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me—

¹⁸the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on ^athat day—and you know very well what services he rendered at ^bEphesus.

Chapter 2

Be Strong

¹You therefore, my ^1ason, ^bbe strong in the grace that is in ^cChrist Jesus.

²The things ^awhich you have heard from me in the presence of ^bmany witnesses, ^centrust these to ^dfaithful men who will be ^eable to teach others also.

^3aSuffer hardship with me, as a good ^bsoldier of ^cChrist Jesus.

⁴No soldier in active service ^aentangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

⁵Also if anyone ^acompetes as an athlete, he ¹does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

^6aThe hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

⁷Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ, ^arisen from the dead, ^bdescendant of David, ^caccording to my gospel,

⁹¹for which I ^asuffer hardship even to ^bimprisonment as a ^ccriminal; but ^dthe word of God ^eis not imprisoned.

¹⁰For this reason ^aI endure all things for ^bthe sake of those who are chosen, ^cso that they also may obtain the ^dsalvation which is in ^eChrist Jesus and with it ^feternal glory.

^11aIt is a trustworthy statement:

For ^bif we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

¹²If we endure, ^awe will also reign with Him;

If we ^1bdeny Him, He also will deny us;

¹³If we are faithless, ^aHe remains faithful, for ^bHe cannot deny Himself.

An Unashamed Workman

¹⁴Remind them of these things, and solemnly ^acharge them in the presence of God not to ^bwrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

¹⁵Be diligent to ^apresent yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling ^bthe word of truth.

¹⁶But ^aavoid ^bworldly and empty chatter, for ¹it will lead to further ungodliness,

¹⁷and their ¹talk will spread like ²gangrene. Among them are ^aHymenaeus and Philetus,

¹⁸men who have gone astray from the truth saying that ^athe resurrection has already taken place, and they upset ^bthe faith of some.

¹⁹Nevertheless, the ^afirm foundation of God stands, having this ^bseal, “^cThe Lord knows those who are His,” and, “^dEveryone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

²⁰Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and ^asome to honor and some to dishonor.

²¹Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from ^athese things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, ^bprepared for every good work.

²²Now ^aflee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, ^bfaith, love and peace, with those who ^ccall on the Lord ^dfrom a pure heart.

²³But refuse foolish and ignorant ^aspeculations, knowing that they ^bproduce ¹quarrels.

^24aThe Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, ^bable to teach, patient when wronged,

^25awith gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, ^bif perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to ^cthe knowledge of the truth,

²⁶and they may come to their senses and escape from ^athe snare of the devil, having been ^bheld captive ¹by him to do his will.

Chapter 3

“Difficult Times Will Come”

¹But realize this, that ^ain the last days difficult times will come.

²For men will be ^alovers of self, ^blovers of money, ^cboastful, arrogant, ^drevilers, disobedient to parents, ^eungrateful, ^funholy,

^3aunloving, irreconcilable, ^bmalicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^1chaters of good,

^4atreacherous, ^breckless, ^cconceited, ^dlovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵holding to a form of ^1agodliness, although they have ^bdenied its power; ^cAvoid such men as these.

⁶For among them are those who ^1aenter into households and captivate ^2bweak women weighed down with sins, led on by ^cvarious impulses,

⁷always learning and never able to ^acome to the ¹knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as ^aJannes and Jambres ^bopposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, ^cmen of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.

⁹But they will not make further progress; for their ^afolly will be obvious to all, just ^bas ¹Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

¹⁰Now you ^afollowed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, ^blove, ¹perseverance,

^11apersecutions, and ^bsufferings, such as happened to me at ^cAntioch, at ^dIconium and at ^eLystra; what ^fpersecutions I endured, and out of them all ^gthe Lord rescued me!

¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus ^awill be persecuted.

¹³But evil men and impostors ^awill proceed from bad to worse, ^bdeceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴You, however, ^acontinue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

¹⁵and that ^afrom childhood you have known ^bthe sacred writings which are able to ^cgive you the wisdom that leads to ^dsalvation through faith which is in ^eChrist Jesus.

^16aAll Scripture is ¹inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ²training in righteousness;

¹⁷so that ^athe man of God may be adequate, ^bequipped for every good work.

Chapter 4

“Preach the Word”

^1aI solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^bjudge the living and the dead, and by His ^cappearing and His kingdom:

²preach ^athe word; be ready in season and out of season; ^breprove, rebuke, exhort, with ¹great ^cpatience and instruction.

³For ^athe time will come when they will not endure ^bsound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

⁴and ^awill turn away their ears from the truth and ^bwill turn aside to myths.

⁵But you, ^abe sober in all things, ^bendure hardship, do the work of an ^cevangelist, fulfill your ^dministry.

⁶For I am already being ^apoured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^bmy departure has come.

^7aI have fought the good fight, I have finished ^bthe course, I have kept ^cthe faith;

⁸in the future there ^ais laid up for me ^bthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^cthat day; and not only to me, but also to ^dall who have loved His ^eappearing.

Personal Concerns

^9aMake every effort to come to me soon;

¹⁰for ^aDemas, having loved ^bthis present ¹world, has deserted me and gone to ^cThessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^2dGalatia, ^eTitus to Dalmatia.

^11aOnly ^bLuke is with me. Pick up ^cMark and bring him with you, ^dfor he is useful to me for service.

¹²But ^aTychicus I have sent to ^bEphesus.

¹³When you come bring the cloak which I left at ^aTroas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.

^14aAlexander the coppersmith did me much harm; ^bthe Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

¹⁵Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our ¹teaching.

¹⁶At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; ^amay it not be counted against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood with me and ^astrengthened me, so that through me ^bthe proclamation might ¹be ^cfully accomplished, and that all ^dthe Gentiles might hear; and I was ^erescued out of ^fthe lion’s mouth.

¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will ^1abring me safely to His ^bheavenly kingdom; ^cto ²Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹Greet Prisca and ^aAquila, and ^bthe household of Onesiphorus.

^20aErastus remained at ^bCorinth, but ^cTrophimus I left sick at ^dMiletus.

^21aMake every effort to come before ^bwinter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.

^22aThe Lord be with your spirit. ^bGrace be with you.