Book of Common Prayer

I Am Giving You This Instruction, My Child, So You Can Fight The Good Fight

¹⁸ I am depositing^[a] this instruction^[b] with you, my child Timothy, in accordance with the preceding^[c] prophecies about you, in order that by them^[d] you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹ having faith and a good conscience, which^[e] having pushed-aside^[f], some suffered-shipwreck with respect to the^[g] faith— ²⁰ of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed-over to Satan in order that they may be trained not to blaspheme.

First, I Urge That Prayers And Thanksgivings Be Made For All People

2 First of all then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all the ones being in a place of superiority, in order that we may spend^[h] a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ³ This^[i] is good and acceptable^[j] in the sight of our Savior God, ⁴ Who desires^[k] all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For Jesus Gave Himself As a Ransom For All

⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator of God and people— the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ the One having given Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given in His^[l] own times ⁷ for which I was appointed a proclaimer and an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in^[m] faith and truth. ⁸ So I want the men in every place to be praying, lifting-up holy hands without anger and argument.

³³ Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad^[a]. For the tree is known by the fruit. ³⁴ Brood of vipers! How are you able to speak good things, being evil? For the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart— ³⁵ the good person brings out good things from his good treasure^[b], and the evil person brings out evil things from his evil treasure. ³⁶ And I say to you that every useless^[c] word which people will speak— they will render an account for it on the day of judgment. ³⁷ For by your words you will be declared-righteous, and by your words you will be condemned”.

Pharisees Ask Jesus For a Sign. He Offers Only The Sign of Jonah: Three Days In a Grave

³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees responded to Him, saying “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You”. ³⁹ But the One, having responded, said to them— “An evil and adulterous^[d] generation is seeking-for a sign. And a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. ⁴⁰ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea-creature^[e], so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights^[f] in the heart of the earth.

The Ninevites Will Condemn This Generation, For They Repented At Jonah’s Message

⁴¹ “Ninevite men will rise-up at the judgment with this generation, and they will condemn it. Because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold— a greater thing than Jonah is here. ⁴² The Queen of the South will be raised at the judgment with this generation, and she will condemn it. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold— a greater thing than Solomon is here.