2 But as for you, my child, be empowered by the grace that is in Jesus, the Anointed One. ² Whatever you heard me teach before an audience of witnesses, I want you to pass along to trustworthy people who have the ability to teach others too. ³ As a good soldier of Jesus the Anointed, be ready to suffer with me. ⁴ Remember that soldiers on active duty don’t get wrapped up in civilian matters because they want to satisfy those who recruited them. ⁵ Look at it another way: if someone competes as an athlete, he won’t win the race and be crowned with the wreath if he breaks the rules. ⁶ And the farmer who exhausts himself in the field should be the first to taste his harvest. ⁷ Think about what I am telling you, and let the Lord give you clarity on all of it.

⁸ Remember Jesus the Anointed, raised from the dead, descended from David’s royal line. This is the crux of my good news! ⁹ This is why I suffer and why I am bound and chained like a lawbreaker. But God’s word is not in chains! ¹⁰ That’s why I endure everything for the sake of God’s chosen: so that they might experience salvation with lasting, eternal glory through Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. ¹¹ Here’s a statement you can trust:

¹⁴ Remind others about these things that I’m telling you. Warn them before God to stop their useless bickering over words. After all, splitting hairs does no good; it only ruins those forced to listen to their meritless arguments. ¹⁵ Timothy, do everything you can to present yourself to God as a man who is fully genuine, a worker unashamed of your mission, a guide capable of leading others along the correct path defined by the word of truth. ¹⁶ Stay away from ungodly babbling because it will only lead deeper into a godless lifestyle. ¹⁷ Once these empty voices start to speak, Timothy, they infect and spread; and soon the body is consumed with its cancer.^[a] Hymenaeus and Philetus fell victim to it, ¹⁸ and they walked away from the truth by claiming that the day of resurrection has already arrived. They are clearly disrupting the faith of some who are not well grounded. ¹⁹ Regardless of what they do or say, God’s foundation is strong and firmly in place, etched with this seal: “The Lord knows the ones who belong to Him,”^[b] and, “Everyone who invokes the name of the Lord ought to stop doing what they know to be wrong.”

²⁰ Look, in the mansions of the rich and powerful you will find everything from silver and gold serving bowls to wooden containers and clay jars; some are used for special occasions—where honor is important—others are used for more mundane tasks. ²¹ So tell them, if they will clean up their lives and purify themselves from dishonorable teachings that lead people astray, then they can become honorable vessels, consecrated and useful to the Master, made ready for every good work He has in store.

²² Timothy, run away from youthful desires. Instead, direct your passion to chasing after righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord with pure hearts. ²³ Excuse yourself from any conversations that turn into foolish and uninformed debates because you know they only provoke fights. ²⁴ As the Lord’s slave, you shouldn’t exhaust yourself in bickering; instead, be gentle—no matter who you are dealing with—ready and able to teach, tolerant without resentment, ²⁵ gently instructing those who stand up against you. Besides, the time may come when God grants them a change of heart^[c] so that they can arrive at the full knowledge of truth. ²⁶ And if they come to their senses, they can escape the devil’s snare and walk freed from his captivity and evil bidding.

3 And know this: in the last days, times will be hard. ² You see, the world will be filled with narcissistic, money-grubbing, pretentious, arrogant, and abusive people. They will rebel against their parents and will be ungrateful, unholy, ³ uncaring, coldhearted, accusing, without restraint, savage, and haters of anything good. ⁴ Expect them to be treacherous, reckless, swollen with self-importance, and given to loving pleasure more than they love God. ⁵ Even though they may look or act like godly people, they’re not. They deny His power. I tell you: Stay away from the likes of these. ⁶ They’re snakes slithering into the houses of vulnerable women, women gaudy with sin, to seduce them. These reptiles can capture them because these women are weak and easily swayed by their desires. ⁷ They seem always to be learning, but they never seem to gain the full measure of the truth. ⁸ And, just as Jannes and Jambres rose up against Moses,^[d] these ungodly people defy the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and their faith is absolutely worthless. ⁹ But they won’t get too far because their stupidity will be noticed by everyone, just as it was with Jannes and Jambres.

¹⁰ You have been a good student. You have closely observed how I have lived. You’ve followed my instructions, my habits, my purpose, my faith, my patience. You’ve watched how I love and have seen how I endure. You have been with me ¹¹ through persecutions and sufferings—remember what they did to me in Antioch? In Iconium and Lystra? I endured all of it, and the Lord rescued me from it all! ¹² Anyone wishing to live a godly life in Jesus the Anointed will be hunted down and persecuted. ¹³ But as for the wicked and the imposters, they will keep leading and following each other further and further away from the truth. ¹⁴ So surely you ought to stick to what you know is certain. All you have learned comes from people you know and trust ¹⁵ because since childhood you have known the holy Scriptures, which enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus the Anointed. ¹⁶ All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right ¹⁷ so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.

4 And now I bring you this charge before God and Jesus the Anointed, the one destined to judge the living and the dead, at His glorious appearance and His kingdom: ² go out and preach the word! Go whether it’s an opportune time or not! Reprove, warn, and encourage; but do so with all the patience and instruction needed to fulfill your calling ³ because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. ⁴ They will turn away from the real truth you have to offer because they prefer the sound of fables and myths. ⁵ But you must stay focused and be alert at all times. Tolerate suffering. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called.

⁶ For I am already being poured out, and the last drops of this drink offering are all that remain; it’s almost time for me to leave. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have stayed on course and finished the race, and through it all, I have kept believing. ⁸ I look forward to what’s in store for me: a crown of righteousness that the Lord—the always right and just judge—will give me that day (but it is not only for me, but for all those who love and long for His appearing).

⁹ Come to me, Timothy, as soon as you can. ¹⁰ You see, Demas has fallen for this world, abandoned me, and headed off to Thessalonica. Crescens took off for Galatia. Titus has gone to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Luke is the only one left. Bring Mark with you because he is useful in this work and will help look after me. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ On your way here, pick up the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and bring the scrolls—especially the parchments.

¹⁴ Keep your eye out for Alexander the coppersmith! He came against me with all sorts of evil—may the Lord pay him back accordingly— ¹⁵ so watch your back because he has gone overboard to oppose our message.

¹⁶ When it was time for my first defense, no one showed up to support me. Everyone abandoned me (may it not be held against them) ¹⁷ except the Lord. He stood by me, strengthened me, and backed the truth I proclaimed with power so it may be heard by all the non-Jews. He rescued me, pried open the lion’s jaw, and snatched me from its teeth. ¹⁸ And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen.

¹⁹ Give my regards to Prisca, Aquila, and everyone over at Onesiphorus’s house. ²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus in Miletus because he was sick. ²¹ Try your best to come before winter blows in. Eubulus says hello and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. ²² May the Lord be with your spirit, and may His grace be with you. [Amen.]^[e]

1 Paul, servant of God and emissary^[a] of Jesus, the Anointed One, on behalf of the faith that is accepted by God’s chosen people and the knowledge of the undeniable truth that leads to godliness.

² We rest in this hope we’ve been given—the hope that we will live forever with our God—the hope that He proclaimed ages and ages ago (even before time began). And our God is no liar; He is not even capable of uttering lies. ³ So we can be sure that it is in His exact right time that He released His word into the world—through the preaching that God our Savior has commanded into my care.

⁴ To you, Titus, my dear son birthed through our shared faith: may grace and peace rest upon you from God the Father and Jesus the Anointed, our Savior.

⁵ I left you on Crete so you could sort out the chaos and the unfinished business and appoint elders over communities in each and every city according to my earlier orders. ⁶ Here’s what you should look for in an elder: he should be above suspicion; if he is married, he should be the husband of one wife, raise children who believe, and be a person who can’t be accused of rough and raucous living. ⁷ It is necessary that any overseer you appoint be blameless, as he is entrusted with God’s mission. Look for someone who isn’t pompous or quick to anger, who is not a drunkard, violent, or chasing after seedy gain or worldly fame. ⁸ Find a person who lovingly opens his home to others; who honors goodness; who is thoughtful, fair, devout, self-controlled; and ⁹ who clings to the faithful word that was taught because he must be able, not only to encourage people with sound teaching, but also to challenge those who are against it.

¹⁰ You see antagonists everywhere; they are rebellious, loose-lipped, and deceitful (especially those who are from the circumcised lot). ¹¹ Their talk must be quashed—their mouths sealed up because impure teaching is flying out of their lips and overturning entire families for the sake of their own squalid gain. ¹² I’ll tell you, even their own prophet was heard saying, “Chronic liars, foul beasts, and lazy gluttons—that’s who you’ll meet in Crete.” ¹³ And he’s right! This is why we have to scold them, sometimes severely, so they will be sound in the faith ¹⁴ and be able to ignore Jewish myths as well as any commandments given by those who turn away from the truth.

¹⁵ Listen: to those who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who are tainted, stained, and unbelieving, nothing is pure because their minds and their consciences are polluted. ¹⁶ They claim, “I know God,” but their actions are a slap to His face. They are wretched, disobedient, and useless to any worthwhile cause.

2 As to you, Titus: talk to them; give them a good, healthy diet of solid teaching so they will know the right way to live.

² Here’s what I want you to teach the older men: enjoy everything in moderation, respect yourselves and others, be sensible, and dedicate yourselves to living an unbroken faith demonstrated by your love and perseverance.

³ And here’s what I want you to teach the older women: Be respectful. Steer clear of gossip or drinking too much so that you can teach what is good ⁴ to young women. Be a positive example, showing them what it is to love their husbands and children, and teaching them to ⁵ control themselves in every way and to be pure. Train them to manage the household, to be kind, and to be submissive to their husbands, all of which honor the word of God.

⁶ Encourage the young men in the same way: in every situation, they should learn to control themselves.

^7-8 Titus, you have to set a good example for everyone. Go out of your way to do what is right, speak the truth with the weight and authority that come from an honest and pure life. No one can argue with that. Then your enemies will cower in shame because they have nothing bad to say against us.

⁹ Advise all the servants: Work hard for your masters, and be loyal to them. Strive to please. Don’t be rude or sarcastic. ¹⁰ Don’t steal or embezzle your masters’ property. Show them you are trustworthy, and all the credit will go to the teaching of God our Savior.

¹¹ We have cause to celebrate because the grace of God has appeared, offering the gift of salvation to all people. ¹² Grace arrives with its own instruction: run away from anything that leads us away from God; abandon the lusts and passions of this world; live life now in this age with awareness and self-control, doing the right thing and keeping yourselves holy. ¹³ Watch for His return; expect the blessed hope we all will share when our great God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed, appears again. ¹⁴ He gave His body for our sakes and will not only break us free from the chains of wickedness, but He will also prepare a community uncorrupted by the world that He would call His own—people who are passionate about doing the right thing.

¹⁵ So, Titus, tell them all these things. Encourage and teach them with all authority—and rebuke them with the same. You are a man called to serve, so don’t let anyone belittle you.