1 Timothy 1
Worldwide English (New Testament)
1 I am Paul. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus. God and Christ Jesus told me to be an apostle. God is our Saviour, and Christ is the one who gives us hope.
2 Timothy, you are my true son because you believe the way I do. I ask God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord to show you love and kindness, and give you peace.
3 When I went to the country of Macedonia, I asked you to stay in the city of Ephesus. I wanted you to tell some of the teachers not to teach wrong things.
4 Tell them not to use stories that are not true, and long histories of names. These things often make people quarrel. These things do not make people believe and follow God's way.
5 Here is what teachers should aim at. God's people should love each other with a love which comes from a clean heart, a clear mind, and true faith.
6 Some teachers have not tried to do these things and so they talk about things that do no good.
7 They want to teach the law. But they do not understand what they say. And they do not know what they are trying to prove.
8 We know that the law is good when anyone uses it in the right way.
9 He must understand that the law was not made for the man who lives right. It was made for those who do not want any laws over them, and for those who will not obey. It was made for those who do not respect God, and those who are bad people. It was made for those who do not respect anything that is holy or belongs to God. It was made for those who beat their fathers or mothers, and for those who kill people.
10 It was made for those who use sex in the wrong way and for men who have sex with other men. It was made for those who steal people, for those who tell lies, for those who make a promise that is not true, and for any other thing that is not right.
11 The wonderful good news of God teaches what is right. Praise him! And he has trusted me to tell this good news.
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me power to tell the good news. I thank him because he believed he could trust me, and he chose me for this work.
13 There was a time when I did not respect him. I troubled his people. I said wrong things about him. But he was very kind to me, because I did not know what I was doing and I did not believe in him.
14 Our Lord showed me much love and kindness. I believed in him and had the love which comes from Christ Jesus.
15 These are true words and everyone should believe them. `Christ Jesus came into the world to save bad people.' And I am the worst of all.
16 Jesus Christ wanted to show that he is very, very patient. And so he was kind to me who was the worst. He did this so that others would believe in him and live for ever.
17 Give honour and praise for ever and ever to the one who is King for ever. He will never die. He cannot be seen. He is the only God. Yes, he is!
18 My son Timothy, here is what I tell you to do. And it is what the prophets said about you before. Remember their words, and fight like a good soldier.
19 Keep on believing. Do only what you know is right. Some people have not done that and they have stopped believing.
20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them. I have given them to Satan so that they will be punished and learn not to teach things that do not respect God.
1 Timothy 1
Good News Translation
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by order of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope—
2 (A)To Timothy, my true son in the faith:
May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.
Warnings against False Teaching
3 I want you to stay in Ephesus, just as I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia. Some people there are teaching false doctrines, and you must order them to stop. 4 Tell them to give up those legends and those long lists of ancestors, which only produce arguments; they do not serve God's plan, which is known by faith. 5 The purpose of this order is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith. 6 Some people have turned away from these and have lost their way in foolish discussions. 7 They want to be teachers of God's law, but they do not understand their own words or the matters about which they speak with so much confidence.
8 We know that the Law is good if it is used as it should be used. 9 It must be remembered, of course, that laws are made, not for good people, but for lawbreakers and criminals, for the godless and sinful, for those who are not religious or spiritual, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the immoral, for sexual perverts, for kidnappers, for those who lie and give false testimony or who do anything else contrary to sound doctrine. 11 That teaching is found in the gospel that was entrusted to me to announce, the Good News from the glorious and blessed God.
Gratitude for God's Mercy
12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength for my work. I thank him for considering me worthy and appointing me to serve him, 13 (B)even though in the past I spoke evil of him and persecuted and insulted him. But God was merciful to me because I did not yet have faith and so did not know what I was doing. 14 And our Lord poured out his abundant grace on me and gave me the faith and love which are ours in union with Christ Jesus. 15 This is a true saying, to be completely accepted and believed: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I am the worst of them, 16 but God was merciful to me in order that Christ Jesus might show his full patience in dealing with me, the worst of sinners, as an example for all those who would later believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 To the eternal King, immortal and invisible, the only God—to him be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.
18 Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. Use those words as weapons in order to fight well, 19 and keep your faith and a clear conscience. Some people have not listened to their conscience and have made a ruin of their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have punished by handing them over to the power of Satan; this will teach them to stop their blasphemy.
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Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
