A Worker Approved to God and Not Ashamed

14 Remind people of these things, solemnly urging them before the Lord[a] not to dispute about words. This is in no way beneficial and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, a worker having no need to be ashamed, guiding the word of truth along a straight path. 16 But avoid pointless chatter, for it will progress to greater ungodliness, 17 and their message will spread[b] like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have deviated concerning the truth by[c] saying the resurrection has already taken place, and they are upsetting the faith of some. 19 However, the solid foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[d] and “Everyone who names the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 2:14 Some manuscripts have “before God”
  2. 2 Timothy 2:17 Literally “will experience spreading”
  3. 2 Timothy 2:18 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saying”) which is understood as means
  4. 2 Timothy 2:19 A quotation from Num 16:5