Add parallel Print Page Options

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus.

To Timothy my dearly beloved son, grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

I give thanks to God, whom I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience, that without ceasing, I have a remembrance of thee in my prayers, night and day.

Desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy,

Calling to mind that faith which is in thee unfeigned, which also dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice, and I am certain that in thee also.

For which cause I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee, by the imposition of my hands.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of sobriety.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of God,

Who hath delivered us and called us by his holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the times of the world.

10 But is now made manifest by the illumination of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath destroyed death, and hath brought to light life and incorruption by the gospel:

11 Wherein I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For which cause I also suffer these things: but I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, against that day.

13 Hold the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith, and in the love which is in Christ Jesus.

14 Keep the good thing committed to thy trust by the Holy Ghost, who dwelleth in us.

15 Thou knowest this, that all they who are in Asia, are turned away from me: of whom are Phigellus and Hermogenes.

16 The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus: because he hath often refreshed me, and hath not been ashamed of my chain:

17 But when he was come to Rome, he carefully sought me, and found me.

18 The Lord grant unto him to find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou very well knowest.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;

Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

16 The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

Greeting

Paul, (A)an apostle of Christ Jesus (B)by the will of God according to (C)the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, (D)my beloved child:

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

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

(F)I thank God (G)whom I serve, as did my ancestors, (H)with a clear conscience, as I remember you (I)constantly in my prayers night and day. (J)As I remember your tears, (K)I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of (L)your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and (M)your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you (N)to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us (O)a spirit not of fear but (P)of power and love and self-control.

Therefore (Q)do not be ashamed of (R)the testimony about our Lord, nor of (S)me his prisoner, but (T)share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, (U)who saved us and (V)called us to[a] a holy calling, (W)not because of our works but because of (X)his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus (Y)before the ages began,[b] 10 and which now has (Z)been manifested through (AA)the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, (AB)who abolished death and (AC)brought life and (AD)immortality to light through the gospel, 11 (AE)for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 (AF)which is why I suffer as I do. But (AG)I am not ashamed, for (AH)I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until (AI)that day (AJ)what has been entrusted to me.[c] 13 (AK)Follow (AL)the pattern of (AM)the sound[d] words (AN)that you have heard from me, in (AO)the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit (AP)who dwells within us, guard (AQ)the good deposit entrusted to you.

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

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 1:9 Or with
  2. 2 Timothy 1:9 Greek before times eternal
  3. 2 Timothy 1:12 Or what I have entrusted to him; Greek my deposit
  4. 2 Timothy 1:13 Or healthy

I. Address

Chapter 1

Greeting.[a] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God(A) for the promise of life in Christ Jesus,[b] to Timothy, my dear child: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanksgiving. (B)I am grateful to God, whom I worship with a clear conscience as my ancestors did,[c] as I remember you constantly in my prayers, night and day. [d]I yearn to see you again, recalling your tears, so that I may be filled with joy, as I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and that I am confident lives also in you.(C)

II. Exhortations to Timothy

The Gifts Timothy Has Received. For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God[e] that you have through the imposition of my hands.(D) For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.(E) So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,[f] nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.(F)

[g]He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began,(G) 10 but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,(H) 11 [h]for which I was appointed preacher and apostle(I) and teacher. 12 [i]On this account I am suffering these things; but I am not ashamed,(J) for I know him in whom I have believed and am confident that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day. 13 Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.(K) 14 Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us.(L)

Paul’s Suffering. 15 [j](M)You know that everyone in Asia deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 [k]May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus(N) because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord[l] on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.(O)

Footnotes

  1. 1:1–2 For the formula of address and greeting, see note on Rom 1:1–7.
  2. 1:1 The promise of life in Christ Jesus: that God grants through union with Christ in faith and love; cf. Col 3:4; 1 Tm 4:8.
  3. 1:3 As my ancestors did: this emphasizes the continuity of Judaism and Christianity; for a similar view, see Rom 9:3–5; Phil 3:4–6.
  4. 1:4–5 Purportedly written from prison in Rome (2 Tm 1:8, 17; 4:6–8) shortly before the writer’s death, the letter recalls the earlier sorrowful parting from Timothy, commending him for his faith and expressing the longing to see him again.
  5. 1:6 The gift of God: the grace resulting from the conferral of an ecclesiastical office. The imposition of my hands: see note on 1 Tm 4:14.
  6. 1:8 Do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord: i.e., of preaching and suffering for the sake of the gospel.
  7. 1:9–10 Redemption from sin and the call to holiness of life are not won by personal deeds but are freely and graciously bestowed according to God’s eternal plan; cf. Eph 1:4.
  8. 1:11 Teacher: the overwhelming majority of manuscripts and Fathers read “teacher of the nations,” undoubtedly a harmonization with 1 Tm 2:7.
  9. 1:12 He is able to guard…until that day: the intervening words can also be translated “what I have entrusted to him” (i.e., the fruit of his ministry) as well as “what has been entrusted to me” (i.e., the faith). The same difficult term occurs in 2 Tm 1:14, where it is modified by the adjective “rich” and used without a possessive.
  10. 1:15 Keen disappointment is expressed, here and later (2 Tm 4:16), that the Christians of the province of Asia, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes, should have abandoned the writer and done nothing to defend his case in court.
  11. 1:16–18 The family of Onesiphorus because he…of my chains: Onesiphorus seems to have died before this letter was written. His family is mentioned twice (here and in 2 Tm 4:19), though it was Onesiphorus himself who was helpful to Paul in prison and rendered much service to the community of Ephesus. Because the apostle complains of abandonment by all in Asia during his second imprisonment and trial, the assistance of Onesiphorus seems to have been given to Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (A.D. 61–63).
  12. 1:18 Lord…Lord: the first “Lord” here seems to refer to Christ, the second “Lord” to the Father.