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You sy, then oun, my egō child teknon, be strengthened endynamoō by en the ho grace charis that ho is in en Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous, and kai what hos you have heard akouō from para me egō in dia the presence of many polys witnesses martys, entrust paratithēmi these things houtos to faithful pistos men anthrōpos, who hostis will eimi also kai be eimi able hikanos to teach didaskō others heteros. Share in suffering synkakopatheō as hōs a good kalos soldier stratiōtēs of Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous. No one oudeis serving in the military gets entangled emplekō in the ho affairs pragmateia of ho daily life bios so that hina he pleases areskō the ho one who enlisted stratologeō him. Likewise kai, if ean · de anyone tis competes as an athlete athleō, he does not ou receive a wreath stephanoō unless ean mē he competes athleō lawfully nomimōs. The ho hardworking kopiaō farmer geōrgos must dei be the first prōton to receive metalambanō the ho fruit karpos. Reflect on noeō what hos I am saying legō, for gar the ho Lord kyrios will give didōmi you sy insight synesis in en all pas this.

Remember mnēmoneuō Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, risen egeirō from ek the dead nekros, from ek the seed sperma of David Dauid, in accordance with kata · ho my egō gospel euangelion, because of en which hos I am suffering kakopatheō evil even mechri to the point of imprisonment desmos as hōs a serious criminal kakourgos, but alla the ho word logos of ho God theos is not ou bound deō. 10 On account of dia this houtos I am enduring hypomenō all things pas for the sake of dia the ho elect eklektos, that hina they autos also kai may experience tynchanō the salvation sōtēria that ho is in en Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous with meta eternal aiōnios glory doxa. 11 Trustworthy pistos is the ho saying logos, for gar: “ If ei we died together synapothnēskō, we will also kai live together syzaō. 12 If ei we endure hypomenō, we will also kai reign together symbasileuō. If ei we will deny arneomai Christ, he kakeinos will also deny arneomai us hēmeis. 13 If ei we are faithless apisteō, he ekeinos remains menō faithful pistos, for gar he is dynamai not ou able dynamai to deny arneomai himself heautou.”

14 Remind hypomimnēskō them of these things houtos, solemnly charging diamartyromai them before enōpion · ho God theos not to continue fighting logomacheō about words , which results in epi nothing oudeis beneficial chrēsimos but only in epi the ruin katastrophē of those ho listening akouō. 15 Be diligent spoudazō to present paristēmi yourself seautou before ho God theos as one tried and true dokimos, an unashamed anepaischuntos worker ergatēs, correctly handling orthotomeō the ho word logos of ho truth alētheia. 16 But de shun periistēmi the ho unholy bebēlos chatter kenophōnia, for gar they will advance prokoptō into epi greater polys ungodliness asebeia 17 and kai · ho their autos talk logos will spread nomē like hōs gangrene gangraina, among whom hos are eimi Hymenaeus Hymenaios and kai Philetus Philētos, 18 who hostis have swerved astocheō from peri the ho truth alētheia, saying legō the ho resurrection anastasis has already ēdē occurred ginomai, and kai they are upsetting anatrepō the ho faith pistis of some tis. 19 Nevertheless mentoi, the ho firm stereos foundation themelios of ho God theos stands firm histēmi, having echō · ho this houtos seal sphragis, “The Lord kyrios knew ginōskō those ho who were eimi his autos,” and kai, “ Let everyone pas naming onomazō the ho name onoma of kyrios the Lord kyrios depart aphistēmi from apo unrighteousness adikia.” · ho

20 And de in en a large megas house oikia there are eimi not ou only monon vessels skeuos of gold chrysous and kai silver argyrous but alla also kai of wood xylinos and kai clay ostrakinos, that is kai, some hos for eis honor timē and de others hos for eis dishonor atimia. 21 If ean, therefore oun, someone tis cleanses ekkathairō himself heautou from apo these things houtos, that person will be eimi a vessel skeuos for eis honor timē, having been sanctified hagiazō, useful euchrēstos to the ho master despotēs, prepared hetoimazō for eis every pas good ergon work agathos.

22 · ho So de flee pheugō youthful neōterikos passions epithumia and de pursue diōkō righteousness dikaiosynē, faith pistis, love agapē, peace eirēnē, with meta those ho who call upon epikaleō the ho Lord kyrios out of ek a clean katharos heart kardia. 23 But de avoid paraiteomai the ho foolish mōros and kai uneducated apaideutos speculations zētēsis, knowing oida that hoti they breed gennaō quarrels machē. 24 But de it is necessary dei that a servant of the Lord kyrios not ou be quarrelsome machomai but alla be eimi gentle ēpios to pros all pas, skilled in teaching didaktikos, patient anexikakos even in the midst of evil , 25 in en meekness prautēs instructing paideuō those ho who oppose antidiatithēmi you, if perhaps mēpote God theos might grant didōmi them autos · ho repentance metanoia leading to eis a knowledge epignōsis of the truth alētheia, 26 and kai they might return ananēphō to soberness out of ek the ho snare pagis of the ho devil diabolos ( having been captured alive zōgreō by hypo him autos) in order to eis do · ho his ekeinos will thelēma.

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.