²³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old you shall enroll them, all who qualify to do work in the tent of meeting.^(A)

³ from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who qualify to do work relating to the tent of meeting.^(A)

⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.^(A)

³ Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer.

¹⁸ This charge I commit to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,^(A)

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; ¹¹ put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, ¹² for our^[a] struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present^[b] darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.^{[c](A) 13} Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.^{(B) 14} Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness^{(C) 15} and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ With all of these,^[d] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.^{(D) 17} Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.^{(E) 18} Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.^{(F) 19} Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,^[e](G)

²⁴ And those who belong to Christ^[a] have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.^(A)

¹⁷ For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.^(A)

³ Indeed, we live as humans^[a] but do not wage war according to human standards,^{[b] 4} for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human,^[c] but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments^{(A) 5} and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.^(B)