²¹ As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later,^[a] God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

¹⁹ But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power.

¹⁵ What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

³ And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

³² Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.

¹⁰ One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.

¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost.

¹⁷ Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

Paul Commends Timothy

¹⁹ If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. ²⁰ I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. ²¹ All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. ²² But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. ²³ I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. ²⁴ And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.

Paul’s Final Greetings

¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.