Epaphroditus Praised

²⁵ Yet I considered it necessary to send to you ^(A)Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and ^(B)fellow soldier, ^(C)but your messenger and ^(D)the one who ministered to my need; ^26 (E)since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. ²⁷ For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. ²⁹ Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; ³⁰ because for the work of Christ he came close to death, ^[a]not regarding his life, ^(F)to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.

²⁰ “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ ²¹ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were ^(A)faithful over a few things, ^(B)I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^(C)the joy of your lord.’ ²² He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ ²³ His lord said to him, ^(D)‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into ^(E)the joy of your lord.’

²⁴ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

²⁶ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You ^(F)wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. ²⁷ So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

^29 (G)‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the unprofitable servant ^(H)into the outer darkness. ^(I)There will be weeping and ^(J)gnashing of teeth.’

Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and ^(A)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have ^[a]obtained ^(B)like^[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

^2 (C)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His ^(D)divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ^(E)who called us by glory and virtue, ^4 (F)by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the ^[c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

⁵ But also for this very reason, ^(H)giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue ^(I)knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control ^[d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and ^(J)to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither ^[e]barren ^(K)nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is ^(L)shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent ^(M)to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

²² But ^(A)the fruit of the Spirit is ^(B)love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, ^(C)goodness, ^(D)faithfulness, ^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. ^(E)Against such there is no law.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

²¹ To our shame ^(A)I say that we were too weak for that! But ^(B)in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

Suffering for Christ

²² Are they ^(C)Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: ^(D)in labors more abundant, ^(E)in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, ^(F)in deaths often. ²⁴ From the Jews five times I received ^(G)forty ^(H)stripes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(I)beaten with rods; ^(J)once I was stoned; three times I ^(K)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, ^(L)in perils of my own countrymen, ^(M)in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ in weariness and toil, ^(N)in sleeplessness often, ^(O)in hunger and thirst, in ^(P)fastings often, in cold and nakedness— ²⁸ besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: ^(Q)my deep concern for all the churches. ^29 (R)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

³⁰ If I must boast, ^(S)I will boast in the things which concern my ^[a]infirmity. ^31 (T)The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(U)who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. ^32 (V)In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; ³³ but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

Preach the Word

4 I ^(A)charge you ^[a]therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(B)who will judge the living and the dead ^[b]at His appearing and His kingdom: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. ^(C)Convince, ^(D)rebuke, ^(E)exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ^3 (F)For the time will come when they will not endure ^(G)sound doctrine, ^(H)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and ^(I)be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, ^(J)endure afflictions, do the work of ^(K)an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Paul’s Valedictory

⁶ For ^(L)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^(M)my departure is at hand. ^7 (N)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me ^(O)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous ^(P)Judge, will give to me ^(Q)on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.