Greeting
2 TIMOTHY 1 [†]Paul, a an apostle of Christ Jesus b by the will of God according to c the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, d my beloved child:
e Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You
3[†] f I thank God g whom I serve, as did my ancestors, h with a clear conscience, as I remember you i constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 j As I remember your tears, k I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of l your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and m your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6[†]For this reason I remind you n to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7[†]for God gave us o a spirit not of fear but p of power and love and self-control.
8[†]Therefore q do not be ashamed of r the testimony about our Lord, nor of s me his prisoner, but t share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 u who saved us and v called us to [1] a holy calling, w not because of our works but because of v his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus x before the ages began, [2] 10and which now has y been manifested through z the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, a who abolished death and b brought life and c immortality to light through the gospel, 11 d for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12[†] e which is why I suffer as I do. But f I am not ashamed, for g I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until h that Day i what has been entrusted to me. [3] 13[†] j Follow k the pattern of l the sound [4] words m that you have heard from me, in n the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14[†]By the Holy Spirit o who dwells within us, guard i the good deposit entrusted to you.
15[†]You are aware that p all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16[†]May the Lord grant mercy to q the household of Onesiphorus, for he often r refreshed me and was not ashamed of s my chains, 17but when he arrived in Rome t he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on u that Day!—and you well know all the service he v rendered at Ephesus.
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 TIMOTHY 2 [†]You then, w my child, x be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2[†]and y what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses z entrust to faithful men [1] a who will be able to teach others also. 3 b Share in suffering as c a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4[†]No soldier d gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 e An athlete is not f crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6It is g the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7[†]Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8[†]Remember Jesus Christ, h risen from the dead, the i offspring of David, j as preached in my gospel, 9 k for which I am suffering, l bound with chains as a criminal. But m the word of God is not bound! 10[†]Therefore n I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain o the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with p eternal glory. 11[†]The saying is q trustworthy, for:
r If we have died with him, we will also s live with him;
12 t if we endure, we will also reign with him;
u if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 v if we are faithless, w he remains faithful—
for x he cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God
14[†]Remind them of these things, and y charge them before God [2] z not to quarrel about words, a which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15[†]Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, [3] a worker b who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16But c avoid d irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17[†]and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are e Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18[†]who have swerved from the truth, f saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19[†]But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: g “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone h who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
20[†]Now in i a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, j some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore, k if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, [4] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, l ready for every good work.
22[†]So m flee n youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with o those who call on the Lord p from a pure heart. 23[†]Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant q controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24[†]And r the Lord’s servant [5] must not be quarrelsome but s kind to everyone, t able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25[†]correcting his opponents u with gentleness. God v may perhaps grant them repentance w leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26[†]and they may come to their senses and escape from x the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Godlessness in the Last Days
2 TIMOTHY 3 [†]But understand this, that y in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2[†]For people will be z lovers of self, a lovers of money, b proud, b arrogant, abusive, b disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 c heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, d not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, e swollen with conceit, f lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5[†]having the appearance of godliness, but g denying its power. h Avoid such people. 6[†]For among them are i those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to j arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8[†]Just as k Jannes and Jambres l opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, m men corrupted in mind and n disqualified regarding the faith. 9[†]But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, o as was that of those two men.
All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God
10[†] p You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11[†]my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me q at Antioch, r at Iconium, and s at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet t from them all u the Lord rescued me. 12[†]Indeed, all who desire to v live a godly life in Christ Jesus w will be persecuted, 13[†]while x evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and y being deceived. 14[†]But as for you, z continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom [1] you learned it 15[†]and how a from childhood you have been acquainted with b the sacred writings, c which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16[†] d All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17[†]that e the man of God [2] may be complete, f equipped g for every good work.
Preach the Word
2 TIMOTHY 4 [†] h I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, i who is to judge the living and the dead, and by j his appearing and his kingdom: 2[†]preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; k reprove, rebuke, and l exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3[†] m For the time is coming when people will not endure n sound [1] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4[†]and o will turn away from listening to the truth and p wander off into myths. 5[†]As for you, q always be sober-minded, r endure suffering, do the work of s an evangelist, t fulfill your ministry.
6[†]For u I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my v departure has come. 7[†] w I have fought the good fight, x I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8[†]Henceforth there is y laid up for me z the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, a the righteous judge, will award to me on b that Day, and not only to me but also to all c who have loved his appearing.
Personal Instructions
9[†] d Do your best to come to me soon. 10[†]For e Demas, f in love with g this present world, h has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, [2] i Titus to Dalmatia. 11[†] h Luke alone is with me. Get j Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 k Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13[†]When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14[†] l Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; m the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16[†]At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. n May it not be charged against them! 17[†]But o the Lord stood by me and p strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and q all the Gentiles might hear it. So r I was rescued s from the lion’s mouth. 18[†]The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. t To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
19[†]Greet u Prisca and Aquila, and v the household of Onesiphorus. 20[†]Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left w Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21[†] x Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers. [3]
22[†]The Lord be y with your spirit. z Grace be with you. [4]