2 Timothy 4 - Titus 2

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you:^{(A) 2} proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage with the utmost patience in teaching.^{(B) 3} For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires^{(C) 4} and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. ⁵ As for you, be sober in everything, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.^(D)

⁶ As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.^{(E) 7} I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.^{(F) 8} From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.^(G)

Personal Instructions

⁹ Do your best to come to me soon, ¹⁰ for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia,^[a] Titus to Dalmatia.^{(H) 11} Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in ministry.^{(I) 12} I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. ¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds.^{(J) 15} You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! ¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.^{(K) 18} The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.^(L)

Final Greetings and Benediction

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰ Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. ²¹ Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.^[b]

Salutation

1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, ² in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began^(M)— ³ in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior,^(N)

⁴ To Titus, my true child^[c] in the faith we share:

Grace^[d] and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.^(O)

Titus in Crete

⁵ I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you:^{(P) 6} someone who is blameless, married only once,^[e] whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.^{(Q) 7} For a bishop,^[f] as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain,^{(R) 8} but he must be hospitable,^[g] a lover of goodness, self-controlled, upright, devout, and restrained, ⁹ holding tightly to the trustworthy word of the teaching, so that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰ There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision;^{(S) 11} they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.^{(T) 12} It was one of them, their very own prophet, who said,

¹³ That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith,^{(U) 14} not paying attention to Jewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth.^{(V) 15} To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted.^{(W) 16} They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions; they are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.^(X)

Teach Sound Doctrine

2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. ² Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good,^{(Y) 4} so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.^(Z)

⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled ⁷ in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.^(AA)

⁹ Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back,^{(AB) 10} not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,^{[h](AC) 12} training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,^{(AD) 13} while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,^[i] Jesus Christ.^{(AE) 14} He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.^(AF)

¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.^[j] Let no one look down on you.