GREETING

1 Paul,a an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,b for the sake of the promise of lifec in Christ Jesus:

2 To Timothy, my dearly loved son.

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

THANKSGIVING

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear consciencee as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.f 4 Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faithg that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Euniceh and now, I am convinced, is in you also.

6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.i 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear,j but one of power,A,k love,l and sound judgment.

NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

8 So don’t be ashamedm of the testimony about our Lord,n or of me his prisoner.o Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the powerp of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling,q not according to our works,r but according to his own purposes and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. 10 This has now been made evident through the appearingt of our Savior Christ Jesus, who has abolished deathu and has brought lifev and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointedw a herald, apostle, and teacher,B 12 and that is why I sufferx these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to meC,y until that day.z

BE LOYAL TO THE FAITH

13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teachingaa that you have heard from me,ab in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. 15 You know that all those in the province of Asiaac have deserted me,ad including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercyae to the household of Onesiphorus,af because he often refreshed meag and was not ashamed of my chains.ah 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome,ai he diligently searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he obtain mercyaj from him on that day. You know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.ak

BE STRONG IN GRACE

2 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the graceal that is in Christ Jesus. 2 What you have heard from meam in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithfulan menD who will be able to teach others also.

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.ao 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.ap 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the deadaq and descended from David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer to the point of being bound like a criminal. But the word of God is not bound. 10 This is why I endurear all things for the elect:as so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.at 11 This saying is trustworthy:au

For if we died with him,av

we will also live with him;

12 if we endure, we will also reignaw with him;

if we deny him, he will also deny us;

13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful,

for he cannot deny himself.

AN APPROVED WORKER

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before GodA not to fight about words.a This is useless and leads to the ruin of those who listen. 15 Be diligent to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.b 16 Avoid irreverent and empty speech, since those who engage in it will produce even more godlessness,c 17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeusd and Philetus are among them. 18 They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place,e and are ruining the faith of some.f 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription:g The Lord knows those who are his,B,h and let everyone who calls on the namei ofC the Lord turn away from wickedness.j

20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels,k but also those of wood and clay; some for honorableD use and some for dishonorable.E,l 21 So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable,F he will be a specialG instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.m

22 Fleen from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace,o along with those who call on the Lordp from a pure heart. 23 But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels. 24 The Lord’sq servant must not quarrel,r but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach,H and patient, 25 instructing his opponents with gentleness.s Perhaps God will grant them repentancet leading them to the knowledge of the truth. 26 Then they may come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil,u who has taken them captive to do his will.v

DIFFICULT TIMES AHEAD

3 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days.w 2 For people will be lovers of self,x lovers of money,y boastful, proud,z demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,aa 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers,ab without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good,ac 4 traitors,ad reckless,ae conceited,af lovers of pleasureag rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.ah Avoid these people.ai

6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions,aj 7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.ak 8 Just as Jannes and Jambresal resisted Moses,am so these also resist the truth. They are men who are corrupt in mindan and worthlessao in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be clear to all, as was the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres.

STRUGGLES IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

10 But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose,ap faith, patience, love,aq and endurance, 11 along with the persecutions and sufferingsar that came to me in Antioch,as Iconium,at and Lystra.au What persecutions I endured—and yet the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.av 13 Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceivingaw and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you,ax 15 and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,ay which are able to give you wisdom for salvationaz through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by GodI,ba and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.bb