2 Timothy 1
New Testament for Everyone
Rekindle the gift!
1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus by God’s will, according to the promise of life in Messiah Jesus; 2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our Lord.
3 I serve God with a clear conscience, as my forebears did, and I am grateful to him that I remember you all the time, as I pray for you night and day. 4 I remember how you cried when I left, and I’m longing to see you and be filled with joy. 5 I have in my mind a clear picture of your sincere faith—the faith which first lived in Lois your grandmother and Eunice your mother, and which, I am confident, lives in you as well.
6 That’s why I now want to remind you that God gave you a gift when I laid my hands on you, and that you must bring it back into a blazing fire! 7 After all, the spirit given to us by God isn’t a fearful spirit; it’s a spirit of power, love and prudence.
Don’t be ashamed!
8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as his prisoner. Rather, suffer for the gospel along with us, in accordance with God’s power. 9 God saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace in Messiah Jesus before all time and ages, 10 but has now made it visible through the appearing of our savior Messiah Jesus, who abolished death and, through the gospel, shone a bright light on life and immortality.
11 I was made a herald, apostle and teacher for this gospel; 12 that’s why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have trusted, and I’m convinced that he has the power to keep safe until that day what I have entrusted to him.
13 Keep a firm hold on the pattern of healthy teaching which you heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Jesus. 14 You have had something very important entrusted to you, too; make sure you look after it, through the holy spirit who dwells in us.
Foes and friends
15 You will know that everyone in Asia has turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord give mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; he has often refreshed me. He wasn’t ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he was in Rome he eagerly hunted for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well all the things he did for me in Ephesus.
2 Timothy 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.(A) 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.(B) 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.(C)
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, in the power of God,(D) 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace, and this grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[a](E) 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,[b] who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.(F) 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[c](G) 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day the deposit I have entrusted to him.[d](H) 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.(I) 14 Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
15 You are aware that all who are in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain;(J) 17 when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly[e] searched for me and found me 18 —may the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! And you know very well how much service he rendered in Ephesus.(K)
2 Timothy 1
Living Bible
1 From: Paul, Jesus Christ’s missionary, sent out by God to tell men and women everywhere about the eternal life he has promised them through faith in Jesus Christ.
2 To: Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord shower you with his kindness, mercy, and peace.
3 How I thank God for you, Timothy. I pray for you every day, and many times during the long nights I beg my God to bless you richly. He is my fathers’ God and mine, and my only purpose in life is to please him.
4 How I long to see you again. How happy I would be, for I remember your tears as we left each other.
5 I know how much you trust the Lord, just as your mother Eunice and your grandmother Lois do; and I feel sure you are still trusting him as much as ever.
6 This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness[a] that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you. 7 For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.
8 If you will stir up this inner power, you will never be afraid to tell others about our Lord or to let them know that I am your friend even though I am here in jail for Christ’s sake. You will be ready to suffer with me for the Lord, for he will give you strength in suffering.
9 It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love and kindness to us through Christ. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting him. 11 And God has chosen me to be his missionary, to preach to the Gentiles and teach them.
12 That is why I am suffering here in jail, and I am certainly not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to safely guard all that I have given him until the day of his return.
13 Hold tightly to the pattern of truth I taught you, especially concerning the faith and love Christ Jesus offers you.[b] 14 Guard well the splendid, God-given ability you received as a gift from the Holy Spirit who lives within you.
15 As you know, all the Christians who came here from Asia have deserted me; even Phygellus and Hermogenes are gone. 16 May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me like a breath of fresh air, and he was never ashamed of my being in jail. 17 In fact, when he came to Rome, he searched everywhere trying to find me, and finally did. 18 May the Lord give him a special blessing at the day of Christ’s return. And you know better than I can tell you how much he helped me at Ephesus.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 1:6 stir into flame the strength and boldness, implied; literally, “stir up the gift of God.”
- 2 Timothy 1:13 and love Christ Jesus offers you, literally, “and love that is in Christ Jesus.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.