1 Paul, an apostlea of Christ Jesus by the will of God,b in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,c

2 To Timothy,d my dear son:e

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.f

Thanksgiving

3 I thank God,g whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience,h as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.i 4 Recalling your tears,j I long to see you,k so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith,l which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunicem and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.n 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,o but gives us power,p love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamedq of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.r Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel,s by the power of God. 9 He has savedt us and calledu us to a holy life—not because of anything we have donev but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealedw through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,x who has destroyed deathy and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospelz I was appointeda a herald and an apostle and a teacher.b 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame,c because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guardd what I have entrusted to him until that day.e

13 What you heard from me,f keepg as the patternh of sound teaching,i with faith and love in Christ Jesus.j 14 Guardk the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.l

Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty

15 You know that everyone in the province of Asiam has deserted me,n including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus,o because he often refreshed me and was not ashamedp of my chains.q 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!r You know very well in how many ways he helped mes in Ephesus.t