在恩典中刚强

所以我的儿子啊,你要藉着在基督耶稣里的恩典得以刚强。 你要把那些在许多见证人面前[a]从我所听见的,交托给那些忠心可靠、又有能力教导别人的人。

做为基督耶稣[b]的好士兵,你要与我[c]同受苦难。 凡是当兵的,没有一个会让日常事务纠缠自己,这是为要使那招兵的人喜悦。 同样,如果有人要参加竞赛,除非按着规矩去竞赛,否则就不能得冠冕。 劳苦做工的农夫,应该先享受果实。 你要思考我所说的话,主会在一切事上赐给你悟性。

你当记住那从死人中复活的耶稣基督,照着我的福音,他出自大卫的后裔。 我为这福音受苦,甚至像罪犯一样被捆绑;然而神的话语[d]是不受捆绑的。 10 所以,我为了那些蒙拣选的人忍受一切,好让他们也能得到那在基督耶稣里的救恩和永恒的荣耀。 11 以下的话是信实的:

我们如果与基督一同死了,就将与他一同活着;
12 我们如果忍耐,就将与他一同做王;
我们如果不认他,他也将不认我们。
13 我们如果不信实,他仍然是信实的,
因为他不能否定自己。

做无愧的工人

14 你要提醒他们这些事,在神[e]面前郑重地劝诫他们:不可在言词上争执,那是毫无益处的,只会败坏听见的人。 15 你要努力地向神显明自己是经过考验的,是无愧的工人,能正确分解真理的话语。 16 至于那些不敬神的空谈,你们要避免,因为说这些话的人[f]将导致更多不敬神的事; 17 他们的话像毒瘤那样将会扩散。这些人中间有希米奈奥菲利特斯 18 他们偏离了那有关真理的事,称复活为已经过去的事,结果推翻了一些人的信仰。 19 不过神坚固的根基始终确立,上面有这样的印记:

“主认识那些属于自己的人”[g]还有
“所有称呼主[h]名的人都要离开不义”。

20 在大户人家,不仅有金器、银器,也有木器、瓦器;虽然有的为了贵重的用处[i],但有的却为了卑贱的用处[j] 21 所以,如果有人洁净自己脱离卑贱的事,他就会成为贵重的器皿,被分别为圣,对主人有用,而且是为着一切美善的工作所预备好的。

22 所以你要逃避年轻人的欲望;要与那些以洁净的心求告主的人一同追求公义、信仰、爱心、和平; 23 要拒绝愚拙无知的辩论,因为你知道这些只会引起争斗, 24 而主的奴仆不应该争斗;相反,要温和地对待所有的人,善于教导,忍受恶待, 25 温柔地管教那些反对的人;或许神会赐给这些人悔改的心,到真理的知识当中。 26 这样,那些被魔鬼掳去、随从魔鬼意思的人,就能醒悟过来,脱离魔鬼的网罗。

Footnotes

  1. 提摩太后书 2:2 在许多见证人面前——或译作“藉着许多见证人”。
  2. 提摩太后书 2:3 基督耶稣——有古抄本作“耶稣基督”。
  3. 提摩太后书 2:3 与我——辅助词语。
  4. 提摩太后书 2:9 神的话语——或译作“神的道”。
  5. 提摩太后书 2:14 神——有古抄本作“主”。
  6. 提摩太后书 2:16 说这些话的人——或译作“这些空谈”。
  7. 提摩太后书 2:19 《民数记》16:5。
  8. 提摩太后书 2:19 主——有古抄本作“基督”。
  9. 提摩太后书 2:20 用处——辅助词语。
  10. 提摩太后书 2:20 用处——辅助词语。

Serving Faithfully Despite Hardship

So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you heard me say[a] in the presence of many witnesses[b] entrust to faithful people[c] who will be competent[d] to teach others as well. Take your share of suffering[e] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please[f] the one who recruited him. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner[g] unless he competes according to the rules.[h] The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops. Think about what I am saying and[i] the Lord will give you understanding of all this.[j]

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David;[k] such is my gospel,[l] for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment[m] as a criminal, but God’s message[n] is not imprisoned![o] 10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God,[p] that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.[q] 11 This saying[r] is trustworthy:[s]

If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him.[t]
If we deny[u] him,[v] he will also deny us.
13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself.[w]

Dealing with False Teachers

14 Remind people[x] of these things and solemnly charge them[y] before the Lord[z] not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen.[aa] 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately.[ab] 16 But avoid profane chatter,[ac] because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness,[ad] 17 and their message will spread its infection[ae] like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.[af] 18 They have strayed from the truth[ag] by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[ah] and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord[ai] must turn away from evil.”

20 Now in a wealthy home[aj] there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.[ak] 21 So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior,[al] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. 22 But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others[am] who call on the Lord from a pure heart.[an] 23 But reject foolish and ignorant[ao] controversies, because you know they breed infighting.[ap] 24 And the Lord’s slave[aq] must not engage in heated disputes[ar] but be kind toward all, an apt teacher, patient, 25 correcting[as] opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance and then knowledge of the truth[at] 26 and they will come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap where they are held captive[au] to do his will.[av]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “what you heard from me” (cf. 1:13).
  2. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “through many witnesses.” The “through” is used here to show attendant circumstances: “accompanied by,” “in the presence of.”
  3. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Grk “faithful men,” but here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) is generic, referring to both men and women.
  4. 2 Timothy 2:2 tn Or “able” (see Paul’s use of this word in regard to ministry in 2 Cor 2:16; 3:5-6).
  5. 2 Timothy 2:3 tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me and others in suffering” (cf. 1:8).
  6. 2 Timothy 2:4 tn Grk “that he may please.”
  7. 2 Timothy 2:5 tn Grk “will not be crowned,” speaking of the wreath awarded to the victor.
  8. 2 Timothy 2:5 sn According to the rules (Grk “lawfully, by law”) referring to the rules of competition. In the ancient world these included requirements for training as well as rules for the competition itself.
  9. 2 Timothy 2:7 tn The Greek word here usually means “for,” but is used in this verse for a milder continuation of thought.
  10. 2 Timothy 2:7 tn Grk “in all things.”
  11. 2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “of David’s seed” (an idiom for physical descent).
  12. 2 Timothy 2:8 tn Grk “according to my gospel.”
  13. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chains,” “bonds.”
  14. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “word.”
  15. 2 Timothy 2:9 tn Or “chained,” “bound.”
  16. 2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “the elect.”
  17. 2 Timothy 2:10 tn Grk “with eternal glory.”
  18. 2 Timothy 2:11 sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the following citation. See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8 for other occurrences of this phrase.
  19. 2 Timothy 2:11 sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
  20. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “died together…will live together…will reign together,” without “him” stated explicitly. But “him” is implied by the parallel ideas in Rom 6:8; 8:17 and by the reference to Christ in vv. 12b-13.
  21. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Or “renounce,” “disown,” “repudiate.” It is important to note that the object of Christ’s denial is “us.” The text does not contain an implied object complement (“he will deny us [x]”), which would mean that Christ was withholding something from us (for example, “The owner denied his pets water”), since the verb ἀρνέομαι (arneomai) is not one of the category of verbs that normally occurs in these constructions (see ExSyn 182-89).
  22. 2 Timothy 2:12 tn Grk “if we renounce,” but the “him” is implied by the parallel clauses.
  23. 2 Timothy 2:13 sn If we are unfaithful…he cannot deny himself. This could be (1) a word of warning (The Lord will exact punishment; he cannot deny his holiness) or (2) a word of hope (Because of who he is, he remains faithful to us despite our lapses). The latter is more likely, since Paul consistently cites God’s faithfulness as a reassurance, not as a warning (cf. especially Rom 3:3; also 1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3).
  24. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “remind of these things,” implying “them” or “people” as the object.
  25. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “solemnly charging.” The participle διαμαρτυρόμενος (diamarturomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  26. 2 Timothy 2:14 tc ‡ Most witnesses (A D Ψ 048 1241 [1505] 1739 1881 M al sy SBL) have κυρίου (kuriou, “Lord”) instead of θεοῦ (theou, “God”) here, while a few have Χριστοῦ (Christou, “Christ”; 206 429 1758). θεοῦ, however, is well supported by א C F G I 614 629 630 1175 al. Internally, the Pastorals never elsewhere use the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), but consistently use ἐνώπιον θεοῦ (“before God”; cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 5:4, 21; 6:13; 2 Tim 4:1). But this fact could be argued both ways: The author’s style may be in view, or scribes may have adjusted the wording to conform it to the Pastorals’ otherwise universal expression. Further, only twice in the NT (Jas 4:10 [v.l. θεοῦ]; Rev 11:4 [v.l. θεοῦ]) does the expression ἐνώπιον κυρίου occur. That such an expression is not found in the corpus Paulinum seems to be sufficient impetus for scribes to change the wording here. Thus, although the external evidence is somewhat on the side of θεοῦ, the internal evidence is on the side of κυρίου. A decision is difficult, but κυρίου is the preferred reading.
  27. 2 Timothy 2:14 tn Grk “[it is] beneficial for nothing, for the ruin of those who listen.”
  28. 2 Timothy 2:15 sn Accurately is a figure of speech that literally means something like “cutting a straight road.” In regard to the message of truth, it means “correctly handling” or “imparting it without deviation.”
  29. 2 Timothy 2:16 sn Profane chatter was apparently a characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-4; 4:7; 6:20).
  30. 2 Timothy 2:16 tn Grk “they [who engage in it] will progress even more in ungodliness.”
  31. 2 Timothy 2:17 tn Or “eat away.”
  32. 2 Timothy 2:17 tn Grk “of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, this last clause has been made a new sentence in the translation.
  33. 2 Timothy 2:18 tn Grk “have deviated concerning the truth.”
  34. 2 Timothy 2:19 sn A quotation from Num 16:5.
  35. 2 Timothy 2:19 tn Grk “names the name of the Lord.”
  36. 2 Timothy 2:20 tn Grk “a great house.”
  37. 2 Timothy 2:20 tn Grk “for dishonor,” probably referring to vessels used for refuse or excrement.
  38. 2 Timothy 2:21 tn Grk “from these,” alluding to the errors and deeds of the false teachers described in vv. 14-19.
  39. 2 Timothy 2:22 tn Grk “and peace, with those.”
  40. 2 Timothy 2:22 sn In company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart alludes to the value of the community of believers for the development of Christian virtues.
  41. 2 Timothy 2:23 tn Or “uninstructed,” “silly.”
  42. 2 Timothy 2:23 tn Or “fights,” although this could suggest weapons and blows, whereas in the present context this is not the primary focus. Although “quarrel” is frequently used here (NAB, NIV, NRSV) it may be understood to refer to a relatively minor disagreement.
  43. 2 Timothy 2:24 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households. sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
  44. 2 Timothy 2:24 tn Grk “must not fight” or “must not quarrel.” The Greek verb is related to the noun translated “infighting” in v. 23.
  45. 2 Timothy 2:25 sn Correcting is the word for “child-training” or “discipline.” It is often positive (training, educating) but here denotes the negative side (correcting, disciplining).
  46. 2 Timothy 2:25 tn Grk “repentance unto knowledge of the truth.”
  47. 2 Timothy 2:26 tn Grk “having been captured by him.”
  48. 2 Timothy 2:26 tn Grk “for that one’s will,” referring to the devil, but with a different pronoun than in the previous phrase “by him.” Some have construed “for his will” with the earlier verb and referred the pronoun to God: “come to their senses and escape the devil’s trap (though they have been captured by him) in order to do His will.” In Classical Greek the shift in pronouns would suggest this, but in Koine Greek this change is not significant. The more natural sense is a reference to the devil’s will.