1 Timothy 6:11 - 2 Timothy 2:22

English Standard Version

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

¹¹ But as for you, ^(A)O man of God, ^(B)flee these things. ^(C)Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ^12 (D)Fight the good fight of the faith. ^(E)Take hold of the eternal life ^(F)to which you were called and about which you made ^(G)the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ^13 (H)I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, ^(I)who in his testimony before^[a] Pontius Pilate made ^(J)the good confession, ¹⁴ to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until ^(K)the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display ^(L)at the proper time—he who is ^(M)the blessed and only Sovereign, ^(N)the King of kings and Lord of lords, ^16 (O)who alone has immortality, ^(P)who dwells in ^(Q)unapproachable light, ^(R)whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷ As for the rich in ^(S)this present age, charge them ^(T)not to be haughty, nor ^(U)to set their hopes on ^(V)the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^(W)who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, ^(X)to be rich in good works, to be generous and ^(Y)ready to share, ¹⁹ thus ^(Z)storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may ^(AA)take hold of ^(AB)that which is truly life.

²⁰ O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. ^(AC)Avoid the ^(AD)irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ²¹ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.

^(AE)Grace be with you.^[b]

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(AF)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^(AG)by the will of God according to ^(AH)the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

² To Timothy, ^(AI)my beloved child:

^(AJ)Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

^3 (AK)I thank God ^(AL)whom I serve, as did my ancestors, ^(AM)with a clear conscience, as I remember you ^(AN)constantly in my prayers night and day. ^4 (AO)As I remember your tears, ^(AP)I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of ^(AQ)your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and ^(AR)your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. ⁶ For this reason I remind you ^(AS)to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us ^(AT)a spirit not of fear but ^(AU)of power and love and self-control.

⁸ Therefore ^(AV)do not be ashamed of ^(AW)the testimony about our Lord, nor of ^(AX)me his prisoner, but ^(AY)share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, ^9 (AZ)who saved us and ^(BA)called us to^[c] a holy calling, ^(BB)not because of our works but because of ^(BC)his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^(BD)before the ages began,^{[d] 10} and which now has ^(BE)been manifested through ^(BF)the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, ^(BG)who abolished death and ^(BH)brought life and ^(BI)immortality to light through the gospel, ^11 (BJ)for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, ^12 (BK)which is why I suffer as I do. But ^(BL)I am not ashamed, for ^(BM)I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until ^(BN)that day ^(BO)what has been entrusted to me.^{[e] 13 (BP)}Follow ^(BQ)the pattern of ^(BR)the sound^[f] words ^(BS)that you have heard from me, in ^(BT)the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴ By the Holy Spirit ^(BU)who dwells within us, guard ^(BV)the good deposit entrusted to you.

¹⁵ You are aware that ^(BW)all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ May the Lord grant mercy to ^(BX)the household of Onesiphorus, for he often ^(BY)refreshed me and was not ashamed of ^(BZ)my chains, ¹⁷ but when he arrived in Rome ^(CA)he searched for me earnestly and found me— ¹⁸ may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on ^(CB)that day!—and you well know all the service he ^(CC)rendered at Ephesus.

A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

2 You then, ^(CD)my child, ^(CE)be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ² and ^(CF)what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses ^(CG)entrust to faithful men,^{[g] (CH)}who will be able to teach others also. ^3 (CI)Share in suffering as ^(CJ)a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier ^(CK)gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ^5 (CL)An athlete is not ^(CM)crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is ^(CN)the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, ^(CO)risen from the dead, the ^(CP)offspring of David, ^(CQ)as preached in my gospel, ^9 (CR)for which I am suffering, ^(CS)bound with chains as a criminal. But ^(CT)the word of God is not bound! ¹⁰ Therefore ^(CU)I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain ^(CV)the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with ^(CW)eternal glory. ¹¹ The saying is ^(CX)trustworthy, for:

for ^(DE)he cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and ^(DF)charge them before God^{[h] (DG)}not to quarrel about words, ^(DH)which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,^[i] a worker ^(DI)who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But ^(DJ)avoid ^(DK)irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are ^(DL)Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, ^(DM)saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. ¹⁹ But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ^(DN)“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone ^(DO)who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

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

²² So ^(DT)flee ^(DU)youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with ^(DV)those who call on the Lord ^(DW)from a pure heart.