20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

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20 But in a great house there are not only (A)vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, [a]sanctified and useful for the Master, (B)prepared for every good work. 22 (C)Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And (D)a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, (E)able to teach, (F)patient, 25 (G)in humility correcting those who are in opposition, (H)if God perhaps will grant them repentance, (I)so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and (J)escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:21 set apart

20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver implements, but also implements of wood and of earthenware, and (A)some are for honor while others are for dishonor. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from (B)these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, (C)prepared for every good work. 22 Now (D)flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, (E)faith, love, and peace with those who (F)call on the Lord (G)from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant (H)speculations, knowing that they (I)produce [a]quarrels. 24 (J)The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, (K)skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, 25 (L)with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, (M)if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to (N)the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from (O)the snare of the devil, having been (P)held captive [b]by him to do his will.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:23 Lit fightings
  2. 2 Timothy 2:26 Or by him, to do His will

20 Now in (A)a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, (B)some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, (C)if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,[a] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, (D)ready for every good work.

22 So (E)flee (F)youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with (G)those who call on the Lord (H)from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant (I)controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And (J)the Lord's servant[b] must not be quarrelsome but (K)kind to everyone, (L)able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents (M)with gentleness. God (N)may perhaps grant them repentance (O)leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from (P)the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:21 Greek from these things
  2. 2 Timothy 2:24 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

20 Now in a large house there are not only [a]vessels and objects of gold and silver, but also vessels and objects of wood and of earthenware, and some are for honorable (noble, good) use and some for dishonorable (ignoble, common). 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [which are dishonorable—disobedient, sinful], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified [set apart for a special purpose and], useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 Run away from youthful lusts—pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those [believers] who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But have nothing to do with foolish and ignorant speculations [useless disputes over unedifying, stupid controversies], since you know that they produce strife and give birth to quarrels. 24 The servant of the Lord must not participate in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone [even-tempered, preserving peace, and he must be], skilled in teaching, patient and tolerant when wronged. 25 He must correct those who are in opposition with courtesy and gentleness in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and be led to the knowledge of the truth [accurately understanding and welcoming it], 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:20 Like Rom 9:20-23, the analogy here has its roots in OT poetry (e.g. Ps 31:12; Prov 26:23) and prophecy (e.g. Is 45:9; Jer 18:2-6). Paul speaks of believers and unbelievers in Rom 9, but here he seems to be describing God’s household or family, in which all the vessels (containers, utensils) represent believers. While the objects in Rom 9:21 do not change, the vessels here are capable of changing their status and the use to which God puts them by keeping themselves from sinful behavior and influences (v 21).