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Paul, 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)

To Timothy,(D) my dear son:(E)

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.(F)

Thanksgiving

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) Recalling your tears,(J) I long to see you,(K) so that I may be filled with joy. I 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

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) For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,(O) but gives us power,(P) love and self-discipline. So 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. He 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, 10 but 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. 11 And of this gospel(Z) I was appointed(AA) a herald and an apostle and a teacher.(AB) 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame,(AC) because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard(AD) what I have entrusted to him until that day.(AE)

13 What you heard from me,(AF) keep(AG) as the pattern(AH) of sound teaching,(AI) with faith and love in Christ Jesus.(AJ) 14 Guard(AK) the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.(AL)

Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty

15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia(AM) has deserted me,(AN) including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus,(AO) because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed(AP) of my chains.(AQ) 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!(AR) You know very well in how many ways he helped me(AS) in Ephesus.(AT)

Timothy Charged to Guard His Trust

Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God, according to the promise of (D)life in Christ Jesus,

To (E)Timothy, my beloved [b](F)son: (G)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

(H)I thank God, whom I (I)serve with a (J)clear conscience [c]the way my forefathers did, (K)as I constantly remember you in my [d]prayers night and day, (L)longing to see you, (M)even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. [e]For I am mindful of the (N)sincere faith within you, which first dwelled in your grandmother Lois and (O)your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh (P)the gift of God which is in you through (Q)the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a (R)spirit of [f]timidity, but of power and love and [g]discipline.

Therefore (S)do not be ashamed of the (T)testimony of our Lord or of me (U)His prisoner, but join with me in (V)suffering for the (W)gospel according to the power of God, who (X)saved us and (Y)called us with a holy (Z)calling, (AA)not according to our works, but according to His own (AB)purpose and grace, which was granted to us in (AC)Christ Jesus from (AD)all eternity, 10 but has (AE)now been revealed by the (AF)appearing of our Savior (AG)Christ Jesus, who (AH)abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (AI)for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; but (AJ)I am not ashamed, for I know (AK)whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to (AL)protect what I have entrusted to Him [h]until (AM)that day. 13 (AN)Hold on to the (AO)example of (AP)sound words (AQ)which you have heard from me, in the (AR)faith and love which are in (AS)Christ Jesus. 14 Protect, through the Holy Spirit who (AT)dwells in us, the [i](AU)treasure which has been entrusted to you.

15 You are aware of the fact that all who are in [j](AV)Asia (AW)turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to (AX)the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and (AY)was not ashamed of my [k](AZ)chains; 17 but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— 18 the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on (BA)that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at (BB)Ephesus.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 1:1 Lit through
  2. 2 Timothy 1:2 Or child
  3. 2 Timothy 1:3 Lit from my forefathers
  4. 2 Timothy 1:3 Or petitions
  5. 2 Timothy 1:5 Lit Receiving remembrance of
  6. 2 Timothy 1:7 Or cowardice
  7. 2 Timothy 1:7 Or sound judgment
  8. 2 Timothy 1:12 Or for
  9. 2 Timothy 1:14 Lit good deposit
  10. 2 Timothy 1:15 I.e., the province of Asia
  11. 2 Timothy 1:16 Lit chain

1-2 I, Paul, am on special assignment for Christ, carrying out God’s plan laid out in the Message of Life by Jesus. I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much. All the best from our God and Christ be yours!

To Be Bold with God’s Gifts

3-4 Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.

5-7 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith—and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you! And the special gift of ministry you received when I laid hands on you and prayed—keep that ablaze! God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.

8-10 So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.

11-12 This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground—the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end.

13-14 So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.

15-18 I’m sure you know by now that everyone in the province of Asia deserted me, even Phygelus and Hermogenes. But God bless Onesiphorus and his family! Many’s the time I’ve been refreshed in that house. And he wasn’t embarrassed a bit that I was in jail. The first thing he did when he got to Rome was look me up. May God on the Last Day treat him as well as he treated me. And then there was all the help he provided in Ephesus—but you know that better than I.

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

I am writing to Timothy, my dear son.

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

Encouragement to Be Faithful

Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again.

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. 11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.

12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him[a] until the day of his return.

13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

15 As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me—even Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16 May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. 17 When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. 18 May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.

Footnotes

  1. 1:12 Or what has been entrusted to me.

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of [a]Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the (A)promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, a (B)beloved son:

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

Timothy’s Faith and Heritage

I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my (C)forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance (D)the [b]genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and (E)your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you (F)to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For (G)God has not given us a spirit of fear, (H)but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

(I)Therefore do not be ashamed of (J)the testimony of our Lord, nor of me (K)His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, (L)not according to our works, but (M)according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus (N)before time began, 10 but (O)has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (P)to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher [c]of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, (Q)for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Be Loyal to the Faith

13 (R)Hold fast (S)the pattern of (T)sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the (U)household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 18 The Lord (V)grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord (W)in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he (X)ministered [d]to me at Ephesus.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 1:1 NU, M Christ Jesus
  2. 2 Timothy 1:5 Lit. unhypocritical
  3. 2 Timothy 1:11 NU omits of the Gentiles
  4. 2 Timothy 1:18 to me from Vg., a few Gr. mss.