Beginning
Rekindle the gift!
1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus by God’s will, according to the promise of life in Messiah Jesus; 2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our Lord.
3 I serve God with a clear conscience, as my forebears did, and I am grateful to him that I remember you all the time, as I pray for you night and day. 4 I remember how you cried when I left, and I’m longing to see you and be filled with joy. 5 I have in my mind a clear picture of your sincere faith—the faith which first lived in Lois your grandmother and Eunice your mother, and which, I am confident, lives in you as well.
6 That’s why I now want to remind you that God gave you a gift when I laid my hands on you, and that you must bring it back into a blazing fire! 7 After all, the spirit given to us by God isn’t a fearful spirit; it’s a spirit of power, love and prudence.
Don’t be ashamed!
8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as his prisoner. Rather, suffer for the gospel along with us, in accordance with God’s power. 9 God saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace in Messiah Jesus before all time and ages, 10 but has now made it visible through the appearing of our savior Messiah Jesus, who abolished death and, through the gospel, shone a bright light on life and immortality.
11 I was made a herald, apostle and teacher for this gospel; 12 that’s why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have trusted, and I’m convinced that he has the power to keep safe until that day what I have entrusted to him.
13 Keep a firm hold on the pattern of healthy teaching which you heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Jesus. 14 You have had something very important entrusted to you, too; make sure you look after it, through the holy spirit who dwells in us.
Foes and friends
15 You will know that everyone in Asia has turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord give mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; he has often refreshed me. He wasn’t ashamed of my chains, 17 but when he was in Rome he eagerly hunted for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well all the things he did for me in Ephesus.
Conditions of service
2 So, then, my child: you must be strong in the grace which is in Messiah Jesus. 2 You heard the teaching I gave in public; pass it on to faithful people who will be capable of instructing others as well. 3 Take your share of suffering as one of Messiah Jesus’ good soldiers. 4 No one who serves in the army gets embroiled in civilian activities, since they want to please the officer who enlisted them. 5 If you take part in athletic events, you don’t win the crown unless you compete according to the rules. 6 The farmer who does the work deserves the first share of the crops. 7 Think about what I say; the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
God’s word is not tied up
8 Remember Jesus the Messiah, risen from the dead, from the seed of David, according to my gospel— 9 for which I suffer like a criminal, even being chained up! But God’s word is not tied up. 10 That’s why I put up with everything for the sake of God’s chosen ones, so that they too may obtain, with glory that lasts forever, the salvation which is in Messiah Jesus. 11 You can rely on this saying:
If we die with him, we shall live with him;
12 if we endure patiently, we shall reign with him;
if we deny him, he will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny his own self.
Foolish words and the word of truth
14 Remind them about these things; and warn them, in God’s presence, not to quarrel about words. This doesn’t do any good; instead, it threatens to ruin people who listen to it. 15 Do your very best to present yourself before God as one who has passed the test—a workman who has no need to be ashamed, who can carve out a straight path for the word of truth. 16 Avoid pointless and empty chatter. It will push people further and further towards ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like a cancer. I’m thinking in particular of Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 they have turned aside from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting some people’s faith. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, and it has this as its seal: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Everyone who uses the name of the Lord must leave wickedness behind.”
Vessels for God’s use
20 In a great house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and pottery. Some of them are given special honor in the way they’re used; others are for menial purposes. 21 So if people purify themselves from dishonorable things, they will become vessels for honor, made holy, pleasing to the master of the house, fit for every good work.
22 Run away from the passions of youth. Instead, chase after justice, faith, love and peace, along with all who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Avoid silly and unprofitable disputes, because you know that they produce fights; 24 and the Lord’s servant mustn’t be a fighter, but must be gentle to all people, able to teach, able to bear evil without resentment, 25 able to correct opponents with a meek spirit. It may be that God will give them repentance so that they can arrive at a knowledge of the truth, 26 and, in coming to their senses, escape the devil’s snare, after having been held captive by him and made to do his will.
Opponents of the truth
3 You need to know this: bad times are coming in the last days. 2 People will be in love with themselves, you see, and with money too. They will be boastful, arrogant, abusive, haters of parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unfeeling, implacable, accusing, dissolute, savage, haters of the good, 4 traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding on to a pattern of godliness but denying its power. Avoid people like that! 6 This group, you see, includes those who worm their way into people’s houses and ensnare foolish women who are overwhelmed with their sins and are pulled and pushed by all kinds of desires, 7 always learning but never able to arrive at the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres stood up against Moses, so people like this oppose the truth. In their minds they are corrupt; in their faith they are of no account. 9 They won’t get very far, though, because their foolishness will become obvious to everyone, as it was with those two.
Continue in the scriptures!
10 So what about you? You have followed my teaching faithfully, and also my way of life, my aims and goals, my faith, longsuffering, love and patience, 11 my persecutions, my sufferings, the things I went through in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra, the persecutions I endured—and the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 Yes, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Messiah Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on to even worse things, deceiving others and being themselves deceived. 14 But you, on the other hand, must stand firm in the things you learned and believed. You know who it was you received them from, 15 and how from childhood you have known the holy writings which have the power to make you wise for salvation through faith in Messiah Jesus. 16 All scripture, breathed as it is by God, is useful for teaching, for rebuke, for improvement, for training in righteousness, 17 so that people who belong to God may be complete, fitted out and ready for every good work.
Judgment is coming—so get on with your work
4 This is my solemn charge to you, in the presence of God and Messiah Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearance and his kingdom: 2 announce the word; keep going whether the time is right or wrong; rebuke, warn and encourage with all patience and explanation. 3 The time is coming, you see, when people won’t tolerate healthy teaching. Their ears will start to itch, and they will collect for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from listening to the truth and will go after myths instead. 5 But as for you, keep your balance in everything! Put up with suffering; do the work of an evangelist; complete the particular task assigned to you.
Waiting for the crown
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink-offering; my departure time has arrived. 7 I have fought the good fight; I have completed the course; I have kept the faith. 8 What do I still have to look for? The crown of righteousness! The Lord, the righteous judge, will give it to me as my reward on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Come to me soon
9 Make every effort to come to me soon. 10 Demas, you see, has left me and gone to Thessalonica; he’s in love with this present world! Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; he’s very helpful in looking after me. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 I left a cloak at Carpus’ house in Troas; please bring it with you when you come—and also the scrolls, and especially the books.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me a lot of damage. The Lord will pay him back according to what he’s done! 15 Watch out for him yourself. He stood out strongly against our message.
16 The first time my case came to court nobody showed up to support me; they all left me alone. May it not be reckoned against them! 17 But the Lord stood there beside me and gave me strength to enable me to complete my work as his royal herald, and to make sure that all the Gentiles heard the proclamation; and I was snatched clear of the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will snatch me clear from every wicked deed and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Glory to him for the ages of ages, Amen!
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. I left Trophimus behind in Miletus, where he was sick.
21 Do your best to come before winter.
Eubulus sends his greetings; so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the family.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.