Paul’s Paternal Care

¹⁴ I do not write these things to shame you, but ^(A)as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for ^(B)in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, ^(C)imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent ^(D)Timothy to you, ^(E)who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will ^(F)remind you of my ways in Christ, as I ^(G)teach everywhere ^(H)in every church.

Worship and the Lord’s Supper

11 Imitate^(A) me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Head Coverings

² Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

Be Strong in Grace

2 You therefore, ^(A)my son, ^(B)be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must ^(C)endure^[a] hardship ^(D)as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ^4 (E)No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. ⁵ And also ^(F)if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. ⁷ Consider what I say, and ^[b]may the Lord ^(G)give you understanding in all things.

⁸ Remember that Jesus Christ, ^(H)of the seed of David, ^(I)was raised from the dead ^(J)according to my gospel, ^9 (K)for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, ^(L)even to the point of chains; ^(M)but the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(N)I endure all things for the sake of the ^[c]elect, ^(O)that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ This is a faithful saying:

Approved and Disapproved Workers

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, ^(T)charging them before the Lord not to ^[d]strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ^15 (U)Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and ^[e]idle babblings, for they will ^[f]increase to more ungodliness.

Peter’s Approaching Death

¹² For this reason ^(A)I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, ^(B)though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, ^(C)as long as I am in this ^[a]tent, ^(D)to stir you up by reminding you, ^14 (E)knowing that shortly I must ^[b]put off my tent, just as ^(F)our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my ^[c]decease.

God’s Promise Is Not Slack^(A)

3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which ^(B)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words ^(C)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ^(D)and of the commandment of ^[a]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,

Contend for the Faith

³ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you ^(A)concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting ^(B)you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord ^[a]God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Old and New Apostates

⁵ But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that ^(C)the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.