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2 Timothy 4
New King James Version
2 Timothy 4
New King James Version
Preach the Word
4 I (A)charge you [a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, (B)who will judge the living and the dead [b]at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. (C)Convince, (D)rebuke, (E)exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 (F)For the time will come when they will not endure (G)sound doctrine, (H)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and (I)be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, (J)endure afflictions, do the work of (K)an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Paul’s Valedictory
6 For (L)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (M)my departure is at hand. 7 (N)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me (O)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous (P)Judge, will give to me (Q)on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
The Abandoned Apostle
9 Be diligent to come to me quickly; 10 for (R)Demas has forsaken me, (S)having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get (T)Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. 12 And (U)Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.
14 (V)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. 15 You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.
16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. (W)May it not be charged against them.
The Lord Is Faithful
17 (X)But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, (Y)so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered (Z)out of the mouth of the lion. 18 (AA)And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. (AB)To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!
Come Before Winter
19 Greet (AC)Prisca and Aquila, and the household of (AD)Onesiphorus. 20 (AE)Erastus stayed in Corinth, but (AF)Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
21 Do your utmost to come before winter.
Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren.
Farewell
22 The Lord [c]Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 4:1 NU omits therefore
- 2 Timothy 4:1 NU and by
- 2 Timothy 4:22 NU omits Jesus Christ
2 Timothy 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
2 Timothy 4
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 4
Solemn Charge.[a] 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power:(A) 2 proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.(B) 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,[b] will accumulate teachers(C) 4 and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.(D) 5 But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
Reward for Fidelity. 6 [c](E)For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 [d]I have competed well; I have finished the race;(F) I have kept the faith. 8 [e]From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day,(G) and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.
IV. Personal Requests and Final Greetings
Paul’s Loneliness. 9 [f]Try to join me soon, 10 for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia,[g] and Titus to Dalmatia.(H) 11 Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry.(I) 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.(J) 13 When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.(K)
14 Alexander[h] the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.(L) 15 You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching.
16 At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them!(M) 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.(N) 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.(O)
Final Greeting. 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila[i] and the family of Onesiphorus.(P) 20 Erastus[j] remained in Corinth, while I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.(Q) 21 Try to get here before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus,[k] Claudia, and all the brothers send greetings.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you.(R)
Footnotes
- 4:1–5 The gravity of the obligation incumbent on Timothy to preach the word can be gauged from the solemn adjuration: in the presence of God, and of Christ coming as universal judge, and by his appearance and his kingly power (2 Tm 4:1). Patience, courage, constancy, and endurance are required despite the opposition, hostility, indifference, and defection of many to whom the truth has been preached (2 Tm 4:2–5).
- 4:3 Insatiable curiosity: literally, “with itching ears.”
- 4:6 The apostle recognizes his death through martyrdom to be imminent. He regards it as an act of worship in which his blood will be poured out in sacrifice; cf. Ex 29:38–40; Phil 2:17.
- 4:7 At the close of his life Paul could testify to the accomplishment of what Christ himself foretold concerning him at the time of his conversion, “I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16).
- 4:8 When the world is judged at the parousia, all who have eagerly looked for the Lord’s appearing and have sought to live according to his teachings will be rewarded. The crown is a reference to the laurel wreath placed on the heads of victorious athletes and conquerors in war; cf. 2 Tm 2:5; 1 Cor 9:25.
- 4:9–13 Demas either abandoned the work of the ministry for worldly affairs or, perhaps, gave up the faith itself (2 Tm 4:10). Luke (2 Tm 4:11) may have accompanied Paul on parts of his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:10–12; 20:5–7). Notice the presence of the first personal pronoun “we” in these Acts passages, suggesting to some that Luke (or at least some traveling companion of Paul’s) was the author of Acts. Mark, once rejected by Paul (Acts 13:13; 15:39), is now to render him a great service (2 Tm 4:11); cf. Col 4:10; Phlm 24. For Tychicus, see Eph 6:21; cf. also Acts 20:4; Col 4:7.
- 4:10 Galatia: some manuscripts read “Gaul” or “Gallia.”
- 4:14–18 Alexander: an opponent of Paul’s preaching (2 Tm 4:14–15), perhaps the one who is mentioned in 1 Tm 1:20. Despite Paul’s abandonment by his friends in the province of Asia (cf. 2 Tm 1:15–16), the divine assistance brought this first trial to a successful issue, even to the point of making the gospel message known to those who participated in or witnessed the trial (2 Tm 4:16–17).
- 4:19 Prisca and Aquila: they assisted Paul in his ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:2–3) and Ephesus (Acts 18:19, 26; 1 Cor 16:19). They risked death to save his life, and all the Gentile communities are indebted to them (Rom 16:3–5).
- 4:20 Erastus: he was the treasurer of the city of Corinth (Rom 16:24); cf. also Acts 19:22. Trophimus: from the province of Asia, he accompanied Paul from Greece to Troas (Acts 20:4–5).
- 4:21 Linus: Western tradition sometimes identified this Linus with the supposed successor of Peter as bishop of Rome, and Claudia as the mother of Linus (Apostolic Constitutions, fourth century).
2 Timothy 4
Living Bible
2 Timothy 4
Living Bible
4 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus—who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom— 2 to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word.
3 For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. 4 They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.
5 Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought to do.
6 I say this because I won’t be around to help you very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. 7 I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. 8 In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again.
9 Please come as soon as you can, 10 for Demas has left me. He loved the good things of this life and went to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for I need him. 12 (Tychicus is gone too, as I sent him to Ephesus.) 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left at Troas with Brother Carpus, and also the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm. The Lord will punish him, 15 but be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.
16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was here to help me. Everyone had run away. I hope that they will not be blamed for it. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me the opportunity to boldly preach a whole sermon for all the world to hear. And he saved me from being thrown to the lions.[a] 18 Yes, and the Lord will always deliver me from all evil and will bring me into his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Please say hello for me to Priscilla and Aquila and those living at the home of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
21 Do try to be here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the others. 22 May the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Farewell, Paul
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 4:17 he saved me from being thrown to the lions, literally, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
2 Timothy 4
New International Version
2 Timothy 4
New International Version
4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead,(A) and in view of his appearing(B) and his kingdom, I give you this charge:(C) 2 Preach(D) the word;(E) be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke(F) and encourage(G)—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.(H) Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.(I) 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.(J) 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship,(K) do the work of an evangelist,(L) discharge all the duties of your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering,(M) and the time for my departure is near.(N) 7 I have fought the good fight,(O) I have finished the race,(P) I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me(Q) the crown of righteousness,(R) which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day(S)—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.(T)
Personal Remarks
9 Do your best to come to me quickly,(U) 10 for Demas,(V) because he loved this world,(W) has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.(X) Crescens has gone to Galatia,(Y) and Titus(Z) to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke(AA) is with me.(AB) Get Mark(AC) and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus(AD) to Ephesus.(AE) 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas,(AF) and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander(AG) the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.(AH) 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.(AI) 17 But the Lord stood at my side(AJ) and gave me strength,(AK) so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.(AL) And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.(AM) 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack(AN) and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.(AO) To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.(AP)
Final Greetings
19 Greet Priscilla[a] and Aquila(AQ) and the household of Onesiphorus.(AR) 20 Erastus(AS) stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus(AT) sick in Miletus.(AU) 21 Do your best to get here before winter.(AV) Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.[b]
22 The Lord be with your spirit.(AW) Grace be with you all.(AX)
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 4:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla
- 2 Timothy 4:21 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Living Bible (TLB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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