2 Timoteo 2
Traducción en lenguaje actual
El fiel soldado de Jesucristo
2 Hijo mío,[a] Dios te ama mucho porque has creído en Jesucristo. Pídele fuerzas para soportar cualquier cosa. 2 Tú has oído lo que les he enseñado a muchas personas. Ahora quiero que enseñes eso mismo a cristianos en los que puedas confiar, y que sean capaces de enseñar a otros.
3 Tú, como buen soldado de Jesucristo, debes estar dispuesto a sufrir por él. 4 Los soldados que tratan de agradar a sus jefes no se interesan por ninguna otra cosa que no sea el ejército. 5 De igual manera, el atleta que participa en una carrera no puede ganar el premio si no obedece las reglas de la competencia. 6 Y el que cultiva la tierra tiene que trabajarla antes de poder disfrutar de la cosecha. 7 Piensa en estas cosas, y el Señor Jesucristo te ayudará a entenderlo todo.
8 ¡Acuérdate de Jesucristo! Según la buena noticia que yo enseño, Jesús era de la familia del rey David; y aun cuando murió, resucitó. 9 Por anunciar esa buena noticia sufro mucho y estoy en la cárcel; me tienen encadenado, como si fuera yo un criminal. Pero el mensaje de Dios no está encadenado. 10 Por esa razón soporto toda clase de sufrimientos, para que los que Dios ha elegido se salven y reciban la vida eterna que Cristo ofrece junto a Dios.
11 Esto es verdad:
Si morimos por Cristo,
también viviremos con él.
12 Si soportamos los sufrimientos,
compartiremos su reinado.
Si decimos que no lo conocemos,
también él dirá que no nos conoce.
13 Y aunque no seamos fieles,
Cristo permanece fiel;
porque él jamás rompe su promesa.
El sirviente aprobado
14 No dejes que nadie olvide estas cosas. Pon a Dios como testigo, y advierte a los miembros de la iglesia que no deben seguir discutiendo. Esas discusiones no ayudan a nadie, y dañan a quienes las oyen. 15 Haz todo lo posible por ganarte la aprobación de Dios. Así, Dios te aprobará como un trabajador que no tiene de qué avergonzarse, y que enseña correctamente el mensaje verdadero.
16 No prestes atención a las discusiones de los que no creen en Dios, pues eso no sirve de nada. Los que así discuten, van de mal en peor, 17 y sus malas enseñanzas se van extendiendo, como el cáncer. Así también lo han hecho Himeneo y Fileto. 18 Ellos afirman que ya hemos resucitado, pero eso no es verdad, y lo único que logran es confundir a los creyentes.
19 Pero podemos estar seguros de lo que hemos creído. Porque lo que Dios nos ha enseñado es como la sólida base de un edificio, en donde está escrito lo siguiente: «Dios sabe quiénes son suyos», y también: «Que todos los que adoran a Dios dejen de hacer el mal.»
20 En la casa de un hombre rico no todo es de oro o de plata, sino que algunos objetos son de madera o de barro. Unos sirven para ocasiones especiales, y otros para usarlos todos los días. 21 Algo parecido pasa con nosotros: si dejamos de hacer lo malo y nos olvidamos de las falsas enseñanzas, seremos como esos objetos útiles y muy especiales. Toda nuestra vida le será útil a Dios, que es su dueño, y estaremos preparados para hacer toda clase de bien.
22 No te dejes llevar por las tentaciones propias de tu edad. Tú eres joven, así que aléjate de esas cosas y dedícate a hacer el bien. Busca la justicia, el amor y la paz, y únete a los que, con toda sinceridad, adoran a Dios y confían en él. 23 No prestes atención a discusiones que no ayudan en nada. Los que así discuten siempre terminan peleando. 24 Un servidor de Dios no debe andar en peleas. Al contrario, debe ser bueno con todos, saber enseñar, y tener mucha paciencia.
25 Y cuando corrijas a tus enemigos, hazlo con humildad. Tal vez Dios les dé la oportunidad de arrepentirse y de conocer la verdad. 26 Se darán cuenta entonces de que cayeron en una trampa del diablo, y lograrán escapar. Por el momento, el diablo los tiene prisioneros y hace con ellos lo que quiere.
Footnotes
- 2 Timoteo 2:1 Hijo mío: Véase nota en 1.1-2.
2 Timothy 2
Expanded Bible
A Loyal Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then, Timothy, my child, be strong in the grace we have in Christ Jesus. 2 You should ·teach [entrust to; or pass on to] people ·whom you can trust [who are faithful/reliable] the things you have heard me say ·in the presence of [or confirmed by] many witnesses. Then they will be able to teach others. 3 ·Share in the troubles we have [or Join me in suffering] like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 A soldier wants to please the ·enlisting [or commanding] officer, so no one serving in the army ·wastes time with [gets involved/entangled with] ·everyday matters [civilian affairs]. 5 Also an athlete who takes part in a contest must ·obey all [play by] the rules in order to ·win [L be crowned; C with the victor’s wreath]. 6 The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that was grown. 7 Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead, who is from the ·family [L seed] of David [2 Sam. 7:12–16]. ·This is the Good News I preach [L …according to my Gospel], 9 and I am suffering because of it to the point of being bound with chains like a criminal. But God’s ·teaching [message; word] is not in chains. 10 So I ·patiently accept [endure] all these troubles so that those whom God has chosen can ·have [receive; obtain] the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With that salvation comes ·glory that never ends [eternal glory].
11 This ·teaching is true [saying/word is trustworthy; 1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8; C what follows may be an early Christian hymn]:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we ·accept suffering [endure; persevere], we will also ·rule [reign] with him.
If we ·say we don’t know [deny; disown; renounce] him, he will ·say he doesn’t know [deny; disown; renounce] us.
13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful,
because he ·must be true to who he is [L cannot deny/disown himself].
A Worker Pleasing to God
14 ·Continue teaching [L Remind them of] these things, ·warning people [L solemnly testifying/declaring] in God’s presence not to ·argue [quarrel] about words. It ·does not help anyone [is good for nothing], and it ruins those who listen. 15 ·Make every effort [Do your best; Be diligent] to ·give [present] yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who ·is not ashamed [or will not be shamed] and who ·uses the true teaching in the right way [correctly handles the true message/word of truth; or holds carefully to the true message/word of truth]. 16 Stay away from ·foolish, useless talk [godless/irreverent chatter; 1 Tim. 1:3–4; 4:7; 6:20], because that will lead people ·further away from God [into even more ungodliness]. 17 Their evil teaching will spread like ·a sickness inside the body [L gangrene]. Hymenaeus [1 Tim. 1:20] and Philetus are like that [C probably false teachers and opponents of Paul from Ephesus]. 18 They have ·left [strayed away from] the ·true teaching [truth], saying that the ·rising from the dead [resurrection] has already taken place, and so they are ·destroying [undermining; overturning] the faith of some people. 19 But God’s strong foundation continues to stand, ·sealed [inscribed; engraved] with these words: “The Lord knows those who belong to him [Num. 16:5],” and “Everyone who ·wants to belong to [L names the name of] the Lord must ·stop doing wrong [L turn away from wickedess/injustice].”
20 In a ·large house [wealthy household] there are not only ·things [vessels; dishes] made of gold and silver, but also ·things [vessels; dishes] made of wood and clay. Some things are used for ·special [honorable; noble] purposes, and others are made for ·ordinary [dishonorable; ignoble] jobs [C such as garbage or excrement]. 21 All who make themselves clean from ·evil [L these things; C the false teaching described in vv. 16–18] will be used for ·special [honorable; noble] purposes. They will be made holy, useful to the Master, ready to do any good work.
22 But ·run away from [flee] the ·evil desires [passions; desires] of youth. ·Try hard to live right and to have [L Pursue righteousness,] faith, love, and peace, together with those who ·trust in [L call upon] the Lord from pure hearts. 23 ·Stay away from [Avoid; Having nothing to do with] foolish and ·stupid [ignorant] ·arguments [controversies; speculation], because you know they ·grow into [breed; beget] quarrels. 24 And a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, a ·good [qualified; able] teacher, and patient. 25 ·The Lord’s servant must gently teach [L …gently instructing/correcting] those who ·disagree [are opponents]. Then ·maybe [perhaps] God will ·let them change their minds [L grant them repentance] ·so they can accept [L leading to knowledge of] the truth. 26 And they may ·wake up [come to their senses] and escape from the ·trap [snare] of the devil, who catches them to do ·what he wants [his will].
2 Timothy 2
New King James Version
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:
For (P)if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
12 (Q)If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
(R)If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He (S)cannot deny Himself.
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. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. (V)Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, (W)saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless (X)the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord (Y)knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of [g]Christ depart from iniquity.”
20 But in a great house there are not only (Z)vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, [h]sanctified and useful for the Master, (AA)prepared for every good work. 22 (AB)Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 24 And (AC)a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, (AD)able to teach, (AE)patient, 25 (AF)in humility correcting those who are in opposition, (AG)if God perhaps will grant them repentance, (AH)so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and (AI)escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 2:3 NU You must share
- 2 Timothy 2:7 NU the Lord will give you
- 2 Timothy 2:10 chosen ones
- 2 Timothy 2:14 battle
- 2 Timothy 2:16 empty chatter
- 2 Timothy 2:16 lead
- 2 Timothy 2:19 NU, M the Lord
- 2 Timothy 2:21 set apart
Copyright © 2000 by United Bible Societies
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
