2 Timothy 1

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

²To Timothy,^d my dear son:^e

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

Thanksgiving

³I 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. ⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith,^l which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice^m and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Appeal for Loyalty to Paul and the Gospel

⁶For 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. ⁸So do not be ashamed^q 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. ⁹He has saved^t us and called^u us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done^v but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰but it has now been revealed^w through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,^x who has destroyed death^y and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹And of this gospel^z I was appointed^a 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 guard^d what I have entrusted to him until that day.^e

¹³What you heard from me,^f keep^g as the pattern^h of sound teaching,ⁱ with faith and love in Christ Jesus.^{j 14}Guard^k 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

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

¹⁶May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus,^o because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed^p of my chains.^{q 17}On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸May 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 me^s in Ephesus.^t