1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. He sent me to tell about the promise of life that is found in Christ Jesus.

²Timothy, I am sending you this letter. You are my dear son.

May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.

Paul Tells Timothy to Be Faithful

³I serve God, knowing that what I have done is right. That is how our people served him long ago. Night and day I thank God for you. Night and day I always remember you in my prayers.

⁴I remember your tears. I long to see you so that I can be filled with joy. ⁵I remember your honest and true faith. It was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice. And I am certain that it is now alive in you also.

⁶That is why I remind you to help God’s gift grow, just as a small spark grows into a fire. God put his gift in you when I placed my hands on you.

⁷God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful. He gave us a spirit that gives us power and love. It helps us control ourselves.

⁸So don’t be ashamed to give witness about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, join with me as I suffer for the good news. God’s power will help us do that.

⁹God has saved us. He has chosen us to live a holy life. It wasn’t because of anything we have done. It was because of his own purpose and grace. Through Christ Jesus, God gave us that grace even before time began. ¹⁰It has now been made known through the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus. He has destroyed death. Because of the good news, he has brought life out into the light. That life never dies.

¹¹I was appointed to announce the good news. I was appointed to be an apostle and a teacher. ¹²That’s why I’m suffering the way I am. But I’m not ashamed. I know the One I have believed in. I am sure he is able to take care of what I have given him. I can trust him with it until the day he returns as judge.

¹³Follow what you heard from me as the pattern of true teaching. Follow it with faith and love because you belong to Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard the truth of the good news that you were trusted with. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

¹⁵You know that all the believers in Asia Minor have deserted me. They include Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶May the Lord show mercy to all who live in the house of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up. He was not ashamed that I was being held by chains. ¹⁷In fact, it was just the opposite. When he was in Rome, he looked everywhere for me. At last he found me.

¹⁸May Onesiphorus find mercy from the Lord on the day Jesus returns as judge. You know very well how many ways Onesiphorus helped me in Ephesus.

2My son, be strong in the grace that is found in Christ Jesus. ²You have heard me teach in front of many witnesses. Pass on to men you can trust the things you’ve heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others also. ³Like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, share in the hard times with us.

⁴A soldier does not take part in things that don’t have anything to do with the army. He wants to please his commanding officer. ⁵In the same way, anyone who takes part in a sport doesn’t receive the winner’s crown unless he plays by the rules. ⁶The farmer who works hard should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

⁷Think about what I’m saying. The Lord will help you understand what all of it means.

⁸Remember Jesus Christ. He came from David’s family line. He was raised from the dead. That is my good news. ⁹I am suffering for it. I have even been put in chains like someone who has committed a crime. But God’s word is not held back by chains.

¹⁰So I put up with everything for the good of God’s chosen people. Then they also can be saved. Christ Jesus saves them. He gives them glory that will last forever.

¹¹Here is a saying you can trust.

If we died with him,

we will also live with him.

¹²If we don’t give up,

we will also rule with him.

If we say we don’t know him,

he will also say he doesn’t know us.

¹³Even if we are not faithful,

he will remain faithful.

He must be true to himself.

A Worker Who Pleases God

¹⁴Keep reminding the believers of those things. While God is watching, warn them not to argue about words. That doesn’t have any value. It only destroys those who listen.

¹⁵Do your best to please God. Be a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed. Teach the message of truth correctly.

¹⁶Stay away from godless chatter. Those who take part in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷Their teaching will spread like a deadly sickness.

Hymenaeus and Philetus are two of those teachers. ¹⁸They have wandered away from the truth. They say that the time when people will rise from the dead has already come. They destroy the faith of some people.

¹⁹But God’s solid foundation stands firm. Here is the message written on it. “The Lord knows who his own people are.” Also, “All who say they believe in the Lord must turn away from evil.”

²⁰In a large house there are things made out of gold and silver. But there are also things made out of wood and clay. Some have honorable purposes. Others do not. ²¹Suppose someone stays away from what is not honorable. Then the Master will be able to use him for honorable purposes. He will be made holy. He will be ready to do any good work.

²²Run away from the evil things that young people long for. Try hard to do what is right. Have faith, love and peace. Do these things together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³Don’t have anything to do with arguing. It is dumb and foolish. You know it only leads to fights.

²⁴Anyone who serves the Lord must not fight. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must not hold anything against anyone. ²⁵He must gently teach those who oppose him.

Maybe God will give a change of heart to those who are against you. That will lead them to know the truth. ²⁶Maybe they will come to their senses. Maybe they will escape the devil’s trap. He has taken them prisoner to do what he wanted.

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