Bible in 90 Days

Paul says ‘hello’

1 This letter is from Paul, Silas and Timothy.

We are writing to the people of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God the Father and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray that God will continue to help you. We pray that he will give you peace in your minds.

² We always thank God for all of you. Every time that we pray, we pray for you. ³ As we pray to our Father God, we remember how you live. You do good things because you believe in Christ. You work hard to help other people because you love them and you love God. You are also strong and patient because you hope strongly in our Lord Jesus Christ.^[a]

⁴ Our Christian friends, God loves you. We know that he has chosen you to belong to him. ⁵ When we told you God's good news, it was not only words that we spoke to you. God helped us with his power and with the Holy Spirit. As a result, you were sure that our message was true. You also know that we lived among you in a good way. We had come to help you.

⁶ In your lives also, you copied our example and the example of the Lord Jesus. When you believed our message, people caused you to have a lot of trouble. But God's Holy Spirit helped you to be very happy. ⁷ As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.^[b]

⁸ Because of you, people in many places have clearly heard the message about the Lord. It is not only the people in Macedonia and in Achaia who have heard it. People everywhere now know how you trust God. So, as we travel to different places, we do not need to tell people anything. ⁹ Those people themselves speak about how you accepted us. They tell us how you stopped worshipping false gods. They know that you now serve the true God who always lives. ¹⁰ They also tell us that you are waiting patiently for God's Son to return from heaven. God raised him up after his death on the cross. He is Jesus. He saves us from God's punishment that will come one day.^[c]

Paul's work in Thessalonica

2 Our Christian friends, you yourselves know that our visit to you had good results. ² You know what happened to us before we came to you. The people at Philippi had done bad things to us.^[d] They had caused us to have trouble. When we came to you, our God helped us to be brave. We were not afraid to tell you his good news. Many people tried to stop us, but we told you God's message.

³ When we tell people to obey God's message, we are not saying anything that is not true. We do not have a wrong purpose. We are not trying to deceive anyone. ⁴ Instead, we say what God wants us to say. He has chosen us to tell his good news to people. So we do not do it to make people happy. We do it to make God happy. He is the one who knows what we are really like.

⁵ When we came to you, we spoke what was true. We did not just say nice things to make you feel good. You yourselves know that. We did not try to make you give things to us. We never had a secret purpose like that. God knows that this is true. ⁶ We did not want anyone to say that we are great people. We did not want you to do that, or anyone else. ⁷ We could have used our authority over you, because we are Christ's apostles. But instead, we chose to be kind to you and to help you. We took care of you, like a mother takes care of her little children. ⁸ We loved you very much, so we wanted to tell you God's good news. We wanted to share our lives with you too.^[e]

⁹ Our Christian friends, remember how we worked so hard to help you. We worked during the day and even during the night. We did not want to cause any problems for you. So we taught you God's good news and we did not ask you to give us anything in return.^[f]

¹⁰ You know that we lived in a good way when we were with you. God also knows that. We were completely honest with you believers. Nobody could say that we did anything wrong. ¹¹ You know that we helped you, like a father helps his own children. ¹² We taught you clearly what is true. We helped you to be strong as believers. God has chosen you to be his own people. You belong to his great kingdom, where he rules. So we told you to live in a way that pleases him.

¹³ There is another reason why we always continue to thank God for you. When we told God's message to you, you knew that it was not human ideas. You accepted it as God's own message, and that is what it certainly is. You continue to grow as believers because of God's message that you heard.

¹⁴ Our Christian friends, you have received the same kind of trouble that the people in the churches of Judea received.^[g] People in your own country have caused you to have trouble and pain. The same thing happened to the people in Judea who believed in Christ Jesus. They received trouble from their own Jewish people.

¹⁵ People like that even killed the Lord Jesus. They killed God's prophets, too. They also did bad things against us, so that we had to leave their towns. They make God become angry. They are enemies of all people, ¹⁶ because they try to stop us speaking to Gentiles. They do not want God to save anyone from another nation. In this way, they continue to do more and more bad things. When their sins become too many, God has to stop them. He has become so angry that he has punished them completely.

Paul wants to return to Thessalonica

¹⁷ Our friends, we have had to go away from you for a short time. But we have not stopped thinking about you. We have wanted more and more to come to see you again. ¹⁸ Yes, we really wanted to return to you. Certainly, I, Paul, tried again and again to come to you, but Satan stopped us.

¹⁹ You are the people that make us very happy! We know that you will continue to trust God. So, when our Lord Jesus returns, we will be proud of you. You will be like a crown that he gives us when we stand in front of him. ²⁰ You show the great results of our work. Yes, it is because of you that we are very happy.

Timothy has brought news to Paul

3 ^1-2 After a long time, we could not be patient any longer. So we decided to send our friend Timothy to come to visit you. We ourselves would stay here in Athens. Timothy serves God with us here. He tells people the good news about Christ. We sent him to you so that he could help you to trust Christ more and more. ³ You are receiving many troubles. We did not want anyone among you to turn away from Christ because of that. You already know that we who are believers must receive troubles like that.

⁴ Even when we were there with you, we told you that troubles would come. We told you before the troubles came and now it has really happened. You know that it is true. ⁵ That is why I had to send Timothy to come to you. I could not wait to hear news about you any longer. I wanted to know whether you still trusted Christ. I was afraid that Satan had deceived you. If he had made you turn away from Christ, our work among you would have had no results.

⁶ But now Timothy has come back to us. And he has told us good news about you. He has told us that you continue to trust Christ and you love one another. He says that you always think about us in a good way. You want very much to meet us again, as we also want to meet you. ⁷ So we have become happy again because of you, our Christian friends. We continue to suffer and we have much trouble. But we are happy because you continue to trust Christ. ⁸ Yes, we are like people who have become alive again. We know that you are strong as you trust the Lord.

⁹ We thank God very much for you! You make us very happy when we talk to God about you. ¹⁰ We pray very much for you, during the day and during the night. We ask God to give us the chance to visit you again. We want to help you to understand the things that you still need to know. Then you will be able to trust Christ even more.

¹¹ We pray that our Father God himself and our Lord Jesus will prepare the way for us. Then we will come to visit you. ¹² We pray that the Lord will cause you to love people more and more. We love you very much. We pray that you will love each other and all people, as we love you. ¹³ Then God will cause you to become strong inside yourselves. You will live in a completely good way. One day our Lord Jesus will come back with all the people who belong to him. Then you will stand in front of God, our Father. He will say that you are not guilty of anything that is wrong.

A life that makes God happy

4 Christian friends, there are a few more things that we need to say. We have already taught you how to live in a way that pleases God. And we know that you are living in that way. Now we ask you to continue to live like that even more. On behalf of the Lord Jesus, we seriously ask you to do this. ² You surely remember what we taught you with the authority of the Lord Jesus.

³ This is how God wants you to live: As his own people, he wants you to be completely good. So you must not have sex in a way that is wrong. ⁴ Each of you men must learn to rule his own body properly. Then you will do only what is pure and right. ⁵ People who do not know God strongly want to have sex in a wrong way. They cannot control themselves. You must not be like those people. ⁶ No man among you should ever have sex with the wife of a Christian friend. That would be the same as if you robbed him. It would be a bad thing to do against him. Remember that the Lord will punish everyone who does things like that. We have already told you that. We warned you very seriously about it.

⁷ God has chosen us to belong to him. He does not want us to do disgusting things. As his people, he wants us to be holy. ⁸ So do not refuse to accept what I am saying. If you do, it is not just a person that you refuse to obey. You are refusing to obey God. And God is the one who has given his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ But I do not need to write to you about how you should love other believers. God himself has taught you how to love each other. ¹⁰ Certainly, you love all the believers in all the region of Macedonia. And now we ask you, as our Christian friends, ‘Please love each other more and more.’ ¹¹ Try very much to live at peace with other people. Work hard at your own job. We have already told you that you must do these things. ¹² If you live in this way, other people who are not believers will respect you. Also, you will not have to ask anyone else to give you the things that you need.

Jesus' return

¹³ Our Christian friends, we want you to understand properly about your friends who have died.^[h] Then you will not continue to be sad about them. People who do not hope for any life after death are sad when their friends die. But you should not be upset like those other people. ¹⁴ We believe that Jesus died and he rose again after death. So we also believe that people who have died as Christians will rise again. When God brings Jesus back, he will take the Christians to go with Jesus.

¹⁵ We are telling you the message that the Lord has given to us. This is what will happen when the Lord returns. Those of us who are still alive will not go to meet the Lord first. We will not go before those people who have already died. ¹⁶ On that day, the Lord himself will come down from heaven. He will shout with authority. People will hear the voice of the leader of God's angels. They will hear the sound of God's trumpet. Then those people who have died as Christians will become alive again. They will be the first people to rise up. ¹⁷ After that, those of us who are still alive will join together with them. God will suddenly take us up into the clouds. In that way, we will all meet the Lord in the sky. So we will all be with the Lord for ever. ¹⁸ Because this message is true, tell it to each other. Help one another to be strong, not sad.

We must be ready for Jesus to return

5 Friends, we do not need to write anything to you about the dates and times when these things will happen. ² You know very well about how the great day of the Lord will happen. That day will surprise people very much, like when a robber comes in the night. ³ At that time, people will be saying, ‘We are safe and there is no trouble for us.’ But then, when they are not ready for it, great punishment will suddenly happen to them. It will be impossible for them to run away. Pain will suddenly come to them, like a woman who is giving birth to a baby.

⁴ But you, our Christian friends, know about these things. You are not like people who live in the dark. So when the great day of the Lord happens, it should not suddenly surprise you, like a robber might surprise you. ⁵ All of you are people who belong to the light and to the day. We who are believers do not belong to the night or to the dark. ⁶ So we must watch carefully. We should be like people who stay awake. We should not be like other people who are sleeping. ⁷ It is at night that people sleep. It is at night that people become drunk.

⁸ But we belong to the day, not to the night. So we should think clearly. We must prepare ourselves like a soldier who puts on his armour. We must continue to trust God and to love him. That will be like a metal shirt that keeps our body safe. We must also continue to hope that God will save us. That will be like a strong hat that keeps our head safe.

⁹ God did not choose us as his people so that he could be angry with us. He chose us so that he could save us because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done. ¹⁰ Jesus died on our behalf so that we can live together with him. It does not matter whether we are alive or dead when he returns. We will all go to live with him. ¹¹ Because of that, you should help each other to become stronger as believers. I know that you are already doing that.

Paul finishes his letter

¹² Our friends, we ask you to respect your leaders who work hard among you. They lead you and they teach you what is right on the Lord's behalf. ¹³ Show them how valuable they are to you. And love them very much because of the work that they do. Live at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴ Friends, you must warn lazy people that they should work.^[i] If people are afraid, help them to be brave. If people are weak, take care of them. Be patient with everyone.

¹⁵ If someone does something bad against you, do not do anything bad against them in return. Never do that. Instead, always try to do good things that will help one other and help everyone else.

¹⁶ Always be happy. ¹⁷ Pray at all times. ¹⁸ Whatever may happen to you, continue to thank God. God wants you to do that, because you belong to Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not stop the work of God's Spirit. ²⁰ When people speak messages on God's behalf, do not refuse to listen. ²¹ Instead, think carefully about everything, to see if it is true. Remember to obey anything that is good. ²² But keep away from any kind of bad thing.

²³ I pray that God will help you to be completely good, as his people should be. He is the one who gives us peace in our minds. I pray that he will take care of you in every way, in your spirit, in your soul and in your body. Then you will not be guilty of anything that is bad, when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ²⁴ God has chosen you to be his people. We can trust him to do what he has promised to do. So he will do all this for you.

²⁵ Our Christian friends, please pray for us. ²⁶ Say ‘hello’ to all the believers on our behalf, and kiss them as Christian brothers and sisters.

²⁷ I tell you very seriously on the Lord's behalf, please read this letter to all the believers there. ²⁸ I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to you.

Paul says ‘Hello’

1 This letter is from Paul, Silas and Timothy.

We are writing to the people of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God our Father, and to the Lord Jesus Christ.

² We pray that God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. We pray that they will give you peace in your minds.

Paul thanks God because of the believers at Thessalonica

³ Our Christian friends, we ought always to thank God because of you. It is right that we do this, because you are learning to trust Christ more and more. All of you are also loving each other more and more. ⁴ As a result, we are proud to tell believers in other churches about you. We tell them how you continue to trust God in your many troubles. You are patient and brave, even when people cause you to have much pain.

⁵ This shows us that God judges people in a way that is right. Now you are receiving much trouble because you belong to God's kingdom. This shows that God accepts you as the people that he rules.

⁶ God will punish those people who are causing trouble for you. He will cause trouble for them. That is right and fair. ⁷ God will also do what is right and fair for you. You have troubles now. But one day God will cause you to have rest, together with us. That will happen when the Lord Jesus comes down from heaven. He will come with his powerful angels, ⁸ and with a very hot fire. He will punish those people who do not know God. Yes, he will punish those people who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus. ⁹ Their punishment will continue for ever, as God destroys them. He will keep them away from the Lord. They will never see the Lord, or his great power. ¹⁰ This will happen when Jesus comes on that special day. His own people will praise him for the great things that he has done for them. All of us who are believers will be surprised when we see his great power. This includes you, because you believed our message about the Lord Jesus.

Paul prays for the believers

¹¹ So we always pray for you. Our God has chosen you to be his own people. We pray that he will help you, so that you continue to please him. We also pray that God will work powerfully in you. Then you will be able to do every good thing that you want to do. You will do the things that you want to do because you trust God. ¹² As a result, people will praise our Lord Jesus because of how you live. You also will receive praise, because you belong to Jesus. All this is possible because our God and the Lord Jesus Christ are very kind.

The day when the Lord Jesus will return

2 Our Christian friends, we must explain something now about the time when our Lord Jesus Christ will return. That is the time when he will bring us all together to be with him. ² Please do not become easily confused about this. Do not let yourselves become afraid because of false messages about the Lord's return. Some people are telling you that the great day of the Lord's return has already happened.^[j] Some of these people say that God's Spirit has shown them a message like that. Other people might say that the message came from us. Or they might say that we wrote it in a letter.^[k]

³ Do not let anyone deceive you like that in any way. That day will not happen until certain other things have happened. Before that day, there will be a time when many people will turn against God. Also, the man who is completely against God will appear.^[l] God will surely destroy him in the end. ⁴ This man will be God's great enemy. He will say that he is greater than everything that people call their gods. He will say that he is greater than everything that people worship. As a result, he will even go into the temple. He will sit down there like a king. He will tell everyone that he himself is God.

⁵ I told you these things when I was with you. I am sure that you remember that.

⁶ Something makes it impossible for this man to come now. And you know what it is. But this man will appear at the proper time. ⁷ His power is already working secretly to turn people against God. But there is someone who makes it impossible for him to work freely. That person will continue to make it impossible, until God takes that person away. ⁸ Then the man who is against God will appear. But the Lord Jesus will come, and he will kill that man. Jesus will blow him away with breath from his mouth. When Jesus appears with great power, that enemy of God will be there no longer!^[m]

⁹ When the enemy of God appears, he will be doing Satan's work. Satan will give him the power to do great things and miracles that are false. ¹⁰ He will do all kinds of bad things that deceive people. The people that he deceives are people that God will destroy. Those people believe false things because they have refused to accept God's true message. If they had loved that true message, God would have saved them. ¹¹ For this reason, God causes their minds to accept something that is wrong. They believe a false message. ¹² As a result, God will punish all of them. They have refused to believe what is true. Instead, they have enjoyed doing very bad things.

The believers must continue to trust God

¹³ We always thank God for you, our Christian friends that the Lord loves. We ought to thank God, because he has chosen to save you. God chose you to belong to him, as some of the first people that he would save. You believed God's true message. And God's Spirit makes you separate from things that are bad. ¹⁴ We told you God's good news. That is how God called you to come to him. He saved you so that you would join with our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.

¹⁵ Because of that, our Christian friends, you must continue to trust Christ. Continue to believe the true things that we taught you. Those are the things that we told you when we were with you. We also wrote about them in our letter to you.

¹⁶ We ask our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, our Father, to help you. God has shown that he loves us very much. He has helped us to be brave and strong for all time. We continue to hope for the good things that will come. Yes, God has been very kind to us! ¹⁷ We pray that he will continue to help you and make you strong. Then you will always be able to do good things and to say good things.

Paul asks the Christians to pray for him and for his friends

3 Now, friends, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that more and more people will soon hear the Lord's message. Pray that people will receive the message well and accept it as true. That is how you received it. ² Pray also that God will not let bad people cause trouble for us. Not everyone believes the message about our Lord. ³ But the Lord always does what he has promised. So he will help you to be strong inside yourselves. He will keep you safe when Satan attacks you.

⁴ Because you belong to the Lord, he makes us sure about you. We know that you are doing the things that we tell you to do. And we know that you will continue to do those things. ⁵ We pray that the Lord will lead you in your thoughts. Then you will understand God's love better and better. And you will be patient and strong, as Christ is.

Believers must not refuse to work

⁶ Our friends, you must stay away from every believer who is living in a lazy way. We tell you this with the authority that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to us. Lazy people like that are not living in the way that we taught you. ⁷ You yourselves know that you ought to copy our example. You know that we were not lazy when we lived among you. ⁸ We always paid for the food that anyone gave to us. We worked hard all the time, during the day and at night. We did that so that we would not make trouble for any of you. ⁹ We could have told you to give us what we needed. We have authority to do that. But we wanted to show you how to live properly. Then you could copy our example. ¹⁰ Even when we were there with you, we told you this rule: ‘If anyone refuses to work, you should not give food to him.’^[n]

¹¹ We say this because someone has told us news about you. They have told us that some people among you are living in a lazy way.^[o] Those people do not work at their own jobs. Instead, they cause trouble to other people who are working. ¹² We have something to say to people who are lazy like that. We warn them with the authority that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to us. They must stop causing trouble. They must work properly, so that they get their own food to eat.

¹³ But you must never stop doing what is right, our Christian friends, even when it causes trouble for you. ¹⁴ Maybe someone among you will not obey the message that we have written in this letter. Make sure that everyone knows about someone like that. Do not be friends with him, so that he may become ashamed. ¹⁵ But remember that he is a believer, as you are. So warn him carefully.

Paul finishes his letter

¹⁶ The Lord helps us to have peace in our minds. I pray that the Lord himself will give that peace to you at all times, whatever happens. I pray that the Lord will be with all of you.

¹⁷ I, Paul, am writing these words at the end of my letter with my own hand. I say ‘hello’ to you. That is how I write in every letter that comes from me.

¹⁸ I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to all of you.

Paul says ‘Hello’ to Timothy

1 This letter is from me, Paul. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus. God, our Saviour, is the one who commanded that I should be an apostle. So did Christ Jesus, the one that we trust to help us.

² I am writing to you, Timothy. I told you the message about Jesus and you believed in him. So you are like my own child.

I pray that God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord will continue to help you and be kind to you. I pray that they will give you peace in your mind.

Paul tells Timothy to stop the wrong teachers

³ When I was going to Macedonia, I asked you to stay in Ephesus. Please continue to stay there. Certain people in Ephesus are teaching wrong things about God. You must tell them to stop doing that. ⁴ Tell people not to listen to false stories. They should not always be studying long lists of their families' names from years ago. Those things do not help people. They only cause them to argue. Instead, they need to understand God's purpose for us. To do that, people must trust him.

⁵ We need to teach people to love one another with pure thoughts. They need to be sure in their minds that they are living in a good way. They need to trust God completely. ⁶ But certain people have failed to live in that way. They would rather talk about things that do not help anyone. ⁷ They want to be teachers of God's laws. They speak very strongly, but they do not really understand what they are talking about.

The purpose of God's laws

⁸ We know that God's laws are good, if people use them properly. ⁹ We also know that God did not make those laws for people who already live in a good way. He made them for people like this, to show them what is right:

¹¹ That true message is the good news that comes from our great God. We praise him for it. He has chosen me to tell this good news to people.

Paul thanks Christ Jesus

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has made me strong to serve him. He decided to trust me and he chose me to work on his behalf. ¹³ Before he chose me, I said bad things about him. I caused great trouble for his people. I was a cruel man, but God was very kind to me. He forgave me because I did not know what I was doing. That was because I did not believe in Jesus. ¹⁴ Our Lord continued to be very good and kind to me. He caused me to believe in Christ Jesus and to love him.

¹⁵ Here is a true message that everyone should believe: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save people who do wrong things.’ I am the worst person like that! ¹⁶ But God was kind to me.^[p] Christ Jesus showed that he was completely patient with me, the worst person. That was an example to those people who would later believe in him. They would believe and receive life for ever with God.

¹⁷ Praise God, the King who rules for ever! He can never die. He lives where we cannot see him. He is the only God. So praise him and say how great he is! That is true always and for ever! Amen! This is true.

Timothy should be a good leader in the church

¹⁸ Timothy, you are like my own child. So now I am telling you to serve God well. Remember the words from God that people spoke about you, when you became a servant of God.^[q] Those words will help you to be strong, like a soldier who fights well.^{[r] 19} You must continue to trust God. Always do what you know to be right. Some people have refused to do what is right, even when they know what they should do. As a result, they no longer believe God's true message. ²⁰ Hymenaeus and Alexander are people like that.^[s] I have given them to Satan so that he may punish them. Then they will learn not to say bad things against God any more.

Christians should pray for all people

2 So then, this is what I want to ask you first. Please pray for all people. Ask God to supply what they need. Ask God to help them. Thank God for what he does for everyone. ² Pray in that way for kings and for all rulers and people who have authority. Pray for God to help them, so that we may live our lives without trouble or danger. Then we can live in a good way that respects God and other people. ³ It is good that we should pray like that. It makes God, our Saviour, happy. ⁴ He wants to save all people. He wants everyone to know his message about what is true.

⁵ There is only one God. There is also only one person who brings God and people together. That person is Christ Jesus, who became a man himself. ⁶ He died as a sacrifice on behalf of all people, to pay the debt of their sins. He died at the proper time for God to show his purpose clearly. ⁷ God chose me as his apostle, to tell this same message to people. I am telling you what is true. I am not telling lies! Yes, he sent me to teach his true message to the Gentiles, so that they would believe in him.

⁸ So then, in every place where you meet together, I want the men to pray. The men who lift up their hands and pray must be those who live good lives. They must not be people who are angry or who quarrel with others.

Christian women should also live in a good way

⁹ I also want the women to dress themselves properly in a way that is right. They should not bring shame on themselves. What makes a woman beautiful? It is not the special way that she prepares her hair. It is not the gold things or jewels that she wears. It is not her expensive clothes. ¹⁰ Christian women should not dress themselves like that. Instead, their lives should show that they do good things. They say that they want to please God, so that is the proper way for them to live.

¹¹ When you meet together, a woman should learn quietly. She must respect the leaders who teach in the church. ¹² I do not let a woman teach men. I do not let a woman have authority over men. Instead, she should listen quietly. ¹³ I say this because God made Adam first.^[t] Then he made Eve. ¹⁴ It was Eve, not Adam, who believed the lies that Satan told her. Because she believed Satan completely, she did what God had said was wrong.^[u]

¹⁵ But even as women give birth to children, God will save them. They must continue to trust God and to love other people. They must live in a way that shows they belong to God. They must think carefully about how they live. Then God will save them.

Leaders of the church

3 These words are true: ‘If you want to become a leader of God's people, it is an important work that you want to do.’ ² For that reason, a leader of the church must live a life that everyone knows is good. He must be the husband of one wife. He must think seriously about how he lives and he must control himself well. He must be someone that people respect. He must be happy to have visitors in his home. He must be a good teacher. ³ He should not drink too much wine. He must not get angry quickly or quarrel with people. Instead he should be kind to people. He must not want lots of money. ⁴ He must take care of his own family. His children must obey him and respect him. ⁵ A man must know how to take care of his own family. If he cannot do that, he will not be able to take care of God's people in the church.

⁶ A leader of the church must not be someone who has believed in Christ for only a short time. Someone like that might boast that he is great and important. Then he would receive punishment, as the Devil did. ⁷ Also, people outside the church should agree that the leader is a good person. Then nobody can say anything bad against him. And so, he will not come under the Devil's power.^[v]

Helpers in the church

⁸ In the same way, deacons must live good lives, so that people respect them. They must not be hypocrites. They must not drink too much wine. They must not want to get a lot of money for themselves. ⁹ They must completely believe the true message that God has shown us about Christ. They must be sure in their minds about it. ¹⁰ Before anyone becomes a deacon, you must first test their character. If they are good enough, then let them serve God as deacons.

¹¹ Deacons' wives must live good lives, so that people respect them.^[w] They must not say bad things against people. They must think carefully about how they live. People should know that they are honest in everything they do.

¹² A deacon must be the husband of one wife. He must take care of his children and everyone who lives in his house. ¹³ If a deacon serves God's people well, then people will respect him as a good person. He will become strong to tell people about his faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ I hope to come to visit you soon. But anyway, I want to write these things to you now. ¹⁵ Then, even if I cannot come to you soon, you will know how people in God's family should live. That family is the church of God, who lives for ever. God's family, the church, teaches God's true message and keeps it safe.

¹⁶ Yes, the message that God has shown us about Jesus Christ is very great. We all agree to this:

False teachers

4 God's Spirit tells us clearly that, in later times, some people will stop believing the message about Jesus Christ. Instead, they will listen to bad spirits who want people to believe wrong things. They will listen to the message that comes from demons. ² The people who teach those false things are hypocrites. They no longer understand that what they teach is wrong. ³ They say that it is wrong for anyone to marry. They tell people not to eat certain kinds of food. But God made those foods for people to eat! We should understand God's true message and trust him. Then we will receive the food that he has given us and we will thank him for it. ⁴ Everything that God has made is good. So we should not refuse anything that he has made. Instead, we should receive it and thank God for it. ⁵ God has said that it is good. We should pray that he will bless it. Because of that, it becomes good and clean for us to eat.^[y]

How Timothy can be a good servant of Christ

⁶ You must explain these things to the believers and teach them God's true message. If you do that, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. Continue to study the message about Jesus that you have already learned. That will help you to be strong. ⁷ But you must refuse to listen to false stories. Stories like that are not from God and only silly people believe them. Instead, learn to live well in a way that makes God happy. ⁸ People say this: ‘If a person works to make his body strong and healthy, that will help him a little. But if a person works to live in a way that makes God happy, that will help him much more. It will help that person in his life now on earth. It will also help him in his future life with God in heaven.’ ⁹ We know that those words are true. Everyone should agree with them. ¹⁰ So that is why we work to serve God well. We continue to work, even when we have trouble. We do this because we believe that God will help us. He is the one who lives for ever and who saves all people. Certainly, he saves those who are believers.

¹¹ Teach people to do these things. ¹² You are still a young man, but everyone should respect you as the leader in the church. Show the believers how they should live. Be a good example to them in these ways:

¹³ Until I come, be careful to read the Bible aloud to people. Teach them to understand and to obey the message about Christ. ¹⁴ Remember the gift that God's Holy Spirit has given to you. You received that gift when the group of church leaders put their hands on you.^[z] They spoke messages from God about how you would serve him. So do not stop using that gift from God.

¹⁵ Be careful to do all these things well. Then everyone will see that you are serving God better and better. ¹⁶ Think carefully about how you live, and about the message that you teach. Continue to teach God's true message. Then God will save not only you, but also those people who listen to you.

How to help people in the church

5 Do not speak strongly to an older man and tell him what he must do. Instead, ask him in a kind way, as you would speak to your father. Speak to younger men as you would speak to your brothers. ² Speak to older women as you would speak to your mother. Speak to younger women as you would speak to your sisters. Always respect them properly.

Widows

³ Respect those widows in the church who are really alone. ⁴ If a widow has children or grandchildren, then they should take care of her. The children must help their parents or grandparents because they belong to the same family. Their parents helped them, so they need to give them something in return. The children need to learn that important lesson. It is what God's message teaches them to do and it makes God happy. ⁵ Some widows are really alone and they have nobody to take care of them. A widow like that trusts God that he will help her. As a result, she prays a lot, at night and during the day, and she asks God to help her. ⁶ But some widows only want to enjoy themselves. For a widow like that, her spirit is already dead, even while she is still alive.

⁷ Teach everyone clearly to do these things. Then nobody can say that the believers are doing anything wrong. ⁸ Every believer must take care of his own family. Certainly, he must do that for the people who live with him in his home. If anyone does not do that, it shows that he has refused God's true message. That person is worse than someone who does not believe in Christ.

⁹ If you want to put a widow's name on the list of widows, this is what she must be like. She must be more than 60 years old. She must have been the wife of one husband. ¹⁰ People should know that she has done good things. For example, she must have been a good mother to her children. She must have received visitors into her home. She must have helped God's people as their servant. She must have taken care of people who had problems. She must have continued to do all kinds of good things like that.

¹¹ But do not put the names of younger widows on the list. They may decide to marry again, because they strongly want to have sex. Then they will no longer choose to serve Christ. ¹² As a result, they will stop doing what they had earlier promised to do for the church. That will make them guilty.^[aa]

¹³ Young widows may learn to be lazy. They may go around from house to house. Not only do they become lazy, but they talk too much about silly things. They talk wrongly about other people and what they are doing. They say things that they ought not to say. ¹⁴ So I think that widows who are still young women should marry again. Then they can have children and they can take care of their own homes. If they live well like that, the enemy of God's people will not have a chance to say bad things against us. ¹⁵ Some of the younger widows have already turned away from Christ, so that they can obey Satan.

¹⁶ A woman who believes in Christ should take care of any widows in her own family. Then the church will not have to do that work. Instead, the church will be able to help those widows who are really alone.

Leaders in the church

¹⁷ Everyone should respect leaders of the believers who lead the church well.^[ab] The church should also pay them properly for their work. That is certainly true for leaders who teach God's people and speak God's message to them. ¹⁸ The Bible says: ‘Do not tie shut the mouth of a bull while it walks on your wheat seeds.’^[ac] The Bible also says: ‘You must pay a worker what his work is worth.’

¹⁹ Somebody may tell you that a leader of the believers has done something wrong. But do not accept that as true, unless two or three people say the same thing. ²⁰ If a leader is really guilty and continues to do wrong things, you must warn him. Do that when everyone in the church is there. They will hear what you say, and they will be afraid to do wrong things themselves.

²¹ I say this to you very strongly: Obey what I am telling you to do. Remember that God himself and Christ Jesus, together with their special angels, are all watching what you do. Do not quickly decide if someone has done right or wrong. Be fair and judge everyone in the same way. ²² Do not hurry to put your hands on anyone to choose him as a leader of the church. Perhaps that man has done something wrong. Then people might think that you agree with his sins. You yourself must always be careful to do what is right and good.

²³ I know that you often become ill. So do not drink only water, but drink a little wine. This will help your stomach to keep well.

²⁴ Some people do wrong things that everyone can see clearly. When someone judges those people, everyone already knows that they are guilty. So everybody already knows that it is right to punish those people. But for other people, nobody knows about their sins until later. ²⁵ It is the same with the good things that people do. Many good things are clear for everyone to see. And even the good things that people do secretly will not remain a secret for ever.

About slaves who are believers

6 All slaves should know that it is right to respect their masters. Then other people will not insult God's name or the message that we teach. ² Slaves who have masters who are also believers must continue to respect them. As believers, the slave and his master are like brothers together. But that slave must not refuse to obey his master because of that. Instead, he should work even better for his master. He should do that because he loves his master as a believer.

Teach these things and tell people to obey them.

About wrong teachers

³ Some people teach a false message that is different. Their message does not agree with the true message that our Lord Jesus Christ taught. They do not teach people to live in a way that pleases God. ⁴ People like that think that they are very clever. But they do not really understand anything. They like to argue about things which are not important. They like to quarrel about words. As a result, people become jealous of one another, and they become angry with each other. They insult other people and they think bad things about them. ⁵ Their minds have become confused and they argue all the time. They refuse to believe God's true message. They think that they will become rich if they say that they are serving God.

⁶ What makes our life really rich? We should serve God in a way that pleases him and be happy with the things that we have.^{[ad] 7} When we were born, we brought nothing with us into this world. When we die, we cannot take anything with us out of the world. ⁸ So, if we have enough food and clothes, we should be happy with that.

⁹ But some people want to have lots of money. This causes them to do wrong things. They cannot get free from their bad ways, like an animal in a trap. They want many things for themselves. Their foolish thoughts hurt them and finally destroy their lives. ¹⁰ When people like to have lots of money, it causes all kinds of bad things to happen. Some people have stopped believing the message about Christ because they want to get more money. As a result, they have caused themselves to become sad with many troubles.

Continue to serve God

¹¹ But you, Timothy, are a servant of God. So keep away from all bad things like that. Instead, always try to do what is right. Serve God in a way that pleases him. Choose to trust God and to love other people. Continue to be strong when you have trouble. Be kind to people. ¹² Continue to believe God's true message. Be like someone who fights well to keep it safe. God has chosen you to live with him for ever. You stood in front of many people and said clearly that you believed in Jesus Christ. So live in a way that shows that you belong to him.

¹³ Christ Jesus himself spoke God's true message clearly when he stood in front of Pontius Pilate.^[ae] I now say this to you, in front of God who causes all things to be alive, and in front of Jesus. ¹⁴ You must obey the commands that you have received. Obey them completely without any mistake until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ¹⁵ God will cause Christ to appear at the proper time. God is great, and he alone rules with all authority. He is the greatest King and the most powerful Lord. ¹⁶ God alone lives for ever. He lives in very bright light that nobody can come near. Nobody has ever seen God. Nobody is able to see him. So we praise him! He will rule for ever with great authority! Amen! This is true.

Rich people must be careful how they live

¹⁷ Warn those people who are rich with many things that belong to this world. Tell them not to think that they are more important than other people. They must not think that their money will keep them safe. They could easily lose all of it. Instead, they should trust God. He gives us many things, so that we can enjoy all of them. ¹⁸ Tell those rich people to do many good things to help other people. They should be very kind to other people and share their things with them. ¹⁹ In that way they will store valuable things for themselves in heaven. These things will be a strong help for them in the future. As a result, they will have true life with God.

Timothy must continue to teach the true message

²⁰ Timothy, God has given you his true message to tell people. You must keep that message safe. Do not listen to people who say a lot of silly things that are not important to God. Those people think that they have special knowledge. But their ideas are against God's true message. ²¹ Some people have believed those wrong ideas and now they no longer trust God.

I pray that God will continue to be very kind to all of you.

Paul thanks God for Timothy

1 This letter is from me, Paul. God chose me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. God sent me to tell people about the true life that he has promised us. We receive this life when we belong to Christ Jesus.

² I am writing to you, Timothy. You are like my own child, and I love you very much.

I pray that God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord will continue to help you and be kind to you. I pray that they will give you peace in your mind.

³ Like my ancestors, I serve God in a good way, that I know is right. When I pray to God, at night and during the day, I always remember to pray for you. And I thank God for you. ⁴ I remember how you wept when I said ‘goodbye’ to you. I want to see you again very much, so that I may be completely happy. ⁵ I remember how you really believe in Christ. Your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, already believed in Christ before you did. Now I am sure that you yourself also really trust him. ⁶ For that reason, I want you to remember the gift that God gave you when I put my hands on you.^[af] Use that gift more and more to serve God well. ⁷ Be strong, because God has given us his Spirit. And his Spirit does not cause us to be afraid. Instead, his Spirit causes us to be powerful to serve God. He helps us to love God and other people. And he helps us to control ourselves properly.

Paul tells Timothy to be a brave teacher for Christ

⁸ So do not be ashamed of the message about our Lord that we tell people. And do not be ashamed of me because I am in a prison. I am a prisoner because I serve Christ. You must understand that you will have trouble because you tell people the good news about Jesus Christ. So be ready to have the same kind of trouble as I have. Let God make you strong when you have trouble. ⁹ God is the one who has saved us. He has chosen us to serve him with good, clean lives. He did not save us because of any good things that we have done. He chose to do it because he is very kind. He decided to do that before time began, because of what Christ Jesus would do for us. ¹⁰ Now Christ Jesus has come to save us, and we have seen how kind God is. Christ has destroyed death's power over us. We have heard the good news that he brought to us. So now we understand about life with God for ever.

¹¹ That is the same good news that God has chosen me to tell to people. He has sent me as his apostle to teach his message to people. ¹² That is why I have these troubles. But I am not ashamed to be in prison. I have believed in Christ and I know him well. I know that I can trust him to keep his message safe. God has given me the authority to speak that message to people at this time.^[ag] Christ has the power to keep it safe until that great day when he comes back.^[ah]

¹³ You have heard me tell you about God's true message. Let those words be an example to you, so that you also teach what is true. Do this because you belong to Christ Jesus. Continue to trust him and to love his people. ¹⁴ God has given you his good message to keep safe. God's Holy Spirit, who lives in us, will help you to keep it safe.

Onesiphorus

¹⁵ You know that almost all the believers in Asia region have turned against me. They include Phygelus and Hermogenes.^[ai]

¹⁶ But Onesiphorus has stayed to help me. I pray that the Lord will be kind to his family. He often came to help me not to be sad. I am in prison, but he was not ashamed to help me. ¹⁷ When he came here to Rome, he looked carefully for me until he found me. ¹⁸ I pray that the Lord will be kind to Onesiphorus on that great day when he judges people.^[aj] You know very well how much Onesiphorus helped me in Ephesus.

A good soldier for Christ

2 Timothy, you are like my own child. Let God make you strong. He is kind, so trust him to help you, because you belong to Christ Jesus. ² You have heard the message that I have taught. Many other people also heard it and they agree that it is true. Now you must tell the same message to other people who will be able to teach it to even more people. They should be people that you can trust as honest people and who can teach well.

³ Be patient through the troubles that we Christians have. Be brave and strong, like a good soldier for Christ Jesus. ⁴ Any soldier who fights in a war does not become busy with other things. He only wants to fight well to make his captain happy. ⁵ It is the same with an athlete who runs a race.^[ak] He cannot win the race unless he obeys the rules. ⁶ A farmer works hard to grow plants for food. So he should be the first person to receive some of that food. ⁷ Think carefully about what I am saying to you. The Lord will help you to understand all these things.

⁸ Jesus Christ is a descendant of King David.^[al] God caused him to become alive again after his death. Remember that! These facts are part of the good news that I tell people. ⁹ And I have many troubles because I tell that good news to people. They have even put me in a prison, like someone who has done something bad. But nobody can keep God's message in a prison!

¹⁰ So I continue to be patient and brave during all these troubles. I do that so that I can help the people that God has chosen to belong to him. I want God to save them too, because of what Christ Jesus has done for them. As a result, they will live with God for ever, in the beautiful place where he lives.

¹¹ We all know that this is true:

A good worker for God

¹⁴ Continue to tell these things to God's people there, so that they remember them. Use God's authority and warn them not to quarrel about words. To quarrel about little things does not help anyone. Instead, it destroys those people who listen.

¹⁵ Always try very much to serve God in a way that makes him happy. Then he will accept you as a good worker that he can trust. You must teach God's true message correctly. Then you will have no reason to be ashamed of your work. ¹⁶ But stay away from people who talk about silly things that are not important to God. A message like that causes people to live more and more in a way that does not please God. ¹⁷ It causes people to become sick in their spirits. More and more people become sick as a result. Hymenaeus and Philetus are two of the people who teach that kind of false message. ¹⁸ They no longer teach God's true message. They say that God will not raise dead people any more, because he has already given life to dead people. In this way they have confused the minds of some people, so that they no longer believe in Christ.

¹⁹ But the group of true believers remains strong, like the foundation under a building. God has written his message there. It says, ‘The Lord knows who his own people are.’^[ao] It also says, ‘Everyone who says that he belongs to the Lord must stop doing bad things.’

²⁰ In a big house, there are different kinds of dishes. There are some dishes that people have made from gold or from silver. They see those dishes as valuable things. There are also dishes that people have made from wood or from clay. Those dishes are not special things and they may get dirty. ²¹ It is like that with people who serve God as their Master. People who keep themselves clean from those bad things will be like valuable dishes. Their master can use them for a special purpose. They will be ready for him to use them for every kind of good work.

²² Be careful not to do the kind of bad things that young people often want to do. Instead, always try to do what is right and fair. Continue to trust God. Love other people and live in peace with them. Join with people who are clean inside and who pray to the Lord.

²³ Do not join with people who want to argue about silly things that do not mean anything. You know that silly things like that only cause people to quarrel. ²⁴ As the Lord's servant, you must not quarrel. Instead, you must be kind to everyone. You must be able to teach them well. And you must be patient when people cause you to have trouble. ²⁵ When people speak against God's true message, teach them carefully. Help them to understand what is right. Maybe God will change how they think so that they believe the true message. ²⁶ Their minds will start to think clearly. It is the Devil who has made them believe wrong things. He has made them do what he wants. Now they can get free from his power.

People will turn away from God in the last days

3 Let me tell you this. During the last days of this world, there will be times of great trouble. ² People will love only themselves, and they will want lots of money for themselves. They will be proud and they will say how great they are. They will insult other people. They will not obey their parents. They will not thank anyone who helps them. They will not respect anything that is good. ³ They will not be kind to other people, but they will like to quarrel. They will tell lies to hurt other people. They will be unable to control themselves properly. They will be cruel and they will hate anything that is good. ⁴ People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things. They will boast that they are very important. They will not love God, but instead they will only want to enjoy themselves. ⁵ Those people will seem to be serving God. But really they refuse to accept God's power to help them. You must stay away from people like that.

⁶ Among those people, there are some men who find a way into people's homes. They get power over silly women who feel very guilty about their sins. Those women want to do wrong things and they cannot stop themselves. ⁷ They are always trying to learn new things, but they can never really understand God's true message. ⁸ These are people who speak against God's true message, in the same way that Jannes and Jambres spoke against Moses.^[ap] Their minds have become confused. The way that they serve God is false. ⁹ But they will not continue to do many more bad things. Everyone will see clearly that they are fools. That is what happened to Jannes and Jambres.

Timothy must copy Paul's example

¹⁰ But you, Timothy, have heard my message and you know it well. You also know the way in which I have lived. You know my purpose in life. You know how I trust God. You know how patient I have been. You know my love for God and for other people. You know that I have been strong during troubles. ¹¹ You also know what happened to me in the cities called Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. People caused me to have a lot of trouble and pain in those places. But I was patient and brave in those bad troubles! And the Lord kept me safe in all those dangerous times.^[aq]

¹² It is not only me. Every Christian who wants to live in a way that pleases God will have trouble from other people. ¹³ Bad people like that will become even worse. Some of them will teach a false message and people will believe their lies. Those false teachers even believe their own lies!

It is important for us to know the Bible

¹⁴ But you must continue to believe the things that you have learned. You know that those things are true. You know the teachers who taught you those things. ¹⁵ Even when you were a child, you already knew the message of the Bible. The Bible has taught you how you can be truly wise. You understand that God saves you because you believe in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ Everything that is written in the Bible comes from God's Spirit. It helps us in many ways. The Bible teaches us what is true. It warns us when we are doing wrong things. It shows us what is right. It teaches us how to live good lives.^{[ar] 17} As a result, people who want to serve God can know how to live properly. They will be people who are ready to do all kinds of good things.

Timothy must continue to do his work for God

4 Timothy, I tell you this seriously, as God and Christ Jesus see everything that we do. When Christ Jesus comes to rule as king, he will judge everyone. He will judge the people who are alive and also those who have already died. When he appears, he will decide what should happen to them all. So I tell you this now: ² Tell God's message to people. Always be ready to speak God's message clearly to people, whether they want to listen to you or not. Warn people when they are doing something wrong. Tell them to stop doing wrong things, and explain to them what they ought to do. But be very patient while you teach them what is true.

³ Do this, because a time will come when people will not listen to God's true message. Instead, they will want to hear all kinds of new messages that will make them happy. So they will find many teachers for themselves who will tell them what they want to hear. ⁴ People will refuse to listen to God's true message. Instead, they will want to listen to silly stories that are false. ⁵ But you yourself must continue to think seriously and clearly. Be patient and brave when troubles come. Continue to tell the good news about Christ to people. Do all the work that God has given you to do as his servant.

⁶ As for me, it is nearly time for me to die. My death will be like a drink offering that they pour out to God. My life as God's servant will end.^{[as] 7} I have worked to serve Christ well. I have finished everything that God wanted me to do. I am like a runner who has run to the end of the race. I have continued to believe God's true message. ⁸ So now a gift is waiting for me. The Lord will make me completely right with him. That will be like a crown which the Lord will give me on that great day when he judges people. He is the judge who is fair and right. He will not only give that gift to me. He will give it to all those people who love him. They will be happy to see him when he comes again.^[at]

Paul's last words to Timothy

⁹ Timothy, please come to see me as soon as you can. ¹⁰ Demas has left me and he has gone to Thessalonica city. He wanted to enjoy the things of this world too much.^[au] Crescens has gone to Galatia region.^[av] Titus has gone to Dalmatia region.^[aw]

¹¹ Only Luke is with me now.^[ax] Bring Mark with you when you come. He can help me very much with the work for God. ¹² I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.^[ay]

¹³ I left a coat with Carpus in Troas.^[az] Bring it when you come. Also bring the books for me. If you cannot bring all of them, then be sure to bring my special papers.

¹⁴ Alexander, the man who makes things from metal, caused a lot of trouble for me. The Lord will punish him because of the wrong things that he did. ¹⁵ You must also be careful that he does not cause trouble for you. He argued very strongly against our message.

¹⁶ I had to explain to a judge that I had not done anything wrong. The first time I did that, nobody helped me. All my friends stayed away. I pray that God will forgive them for that. ¹⁷ But the Lord was there to help me. He made me strong so that I could tell his message clearly. Gentile people from many countries could hear what I said. So the Lord saved me from the danger of death. ¹⁸ The Lord will continue to save me from every bad thing. And he will bring me safely to heaven, where he rules. He is great and we should praise him for ever! Amen! This is true!

¹⁹ Say ‘hello’ for me to Priscilla and Aquila, and to the family of Onesiphorus.^{[ba][bb] 20} Erastus remained at Corinth city.^[bc] I left Trophimus at Miletus city because he was ill.^[bd]

²¹ Please try to come before the winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia say ‘hello’ to you. All the other believers here also say ‘hello’.

²² I pray that the Lord will continue to make you strong in your spirit. I pray that he will be kind to all of you.

Paul says ‘Hello’ to Titus

1 This letter is from me, Paul. I am God's servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. God has sent me to help the people that he has chosen. I teach them to understand his true message and to trust him. As a result they will live in a way that pleases God. ² They will also be sure that they will live with God for ever. Before the world began, God promised that his people would have life with him. And God never tells lies. ³ God is the one who saves us. Now, at the proper time, he has made his message clear. He has given his message to me so that I can tell it to people. That is what he has told me to do.

⁴ I am writing to you, Titus. I told you the message about Jesus and now we both believe in him. So you are like my own child.

I pray that God, the Father, and Christ Jesus, our Saviour, will continue to help you. I pray that they will give you peace in your mind.

Titus's work in Crete

⁵ I left you in Crete so that you could finish certain things. You should make right some things that were wrong. And you should choose leaders of the believers in every town, as I told you.

⁶ This is what a leader in the church must be like. Nobody should have a reason to say that he has done something wrong. He must be the husband of only one wife. He must have children who respect him. Nobody should say that they enjoy bad things or that they do not obey their parents.^{[be] 7} A leader in the church serves the believers on God's behalf. Because of that, nobody should have a reason to say that the leader has done anything wrong. A leader must not be proud. He must not become angry easily. He should not like to drink too much wine. He must not be someone who likes to fight. He must not want to get a lot of money for himself. ⁸ Instead, he must be happy to have visitors in his home. He must want to do good things. He must be careful in how he lives. He must do what is right. He must want to serve God well. He must control himself well.

⁹ A leader in the church must continue to believe the true message very well. That is the message which we have taught. Then he will be able to teach people what is true and right. He will also show that people who speak against the true message are wrong.

¹⁰ I say this because there are many people who refuse to obey their leaders. They speak about useless things and they deceive people. Many of them want the believers to obey all the Jewish rules.^{[bf] 11} You must stop those people from teaching false things like that. They are causing whole families to believe their lies. They teach things that they should not teach. They deceive people because they want people to give them money. ¹² Many years ago, there was a certain man who lived on Crete. The people there called him their prophet. Even he said, ‘People who live on Crete are always telling lies and doing wicked things. They are lazy and they eat too much food.’

¹³ What that man said is true. So you must warn the people there. Help them to believe the true message about Jesus more and more. ¹⁴ They must not listen to Jewish stories that are not true, or to human rules. Those things are the ideas of people who refuse to obey God's true message.

¹⁵ If someone is clean and good inside, everything is clean and good for them to enjoy. But if someone is not a believer and has an unclean mind, nothing is clean or good for that person. Their minds no longer think properly. They no longer feel guilty when they do something wrong. ¹⁶ People like that say that they know God. But they do disgusting things. This shows that they do not know him. They are completely bad. They refuse to obey God. They are not able to do anything good.

Titus must teach all the believers properly

2 But as for you, Titus, you must teach people to do what is right. Teach them only the things that belong to God's true message. ² Tell the older men to control themselves properly. They must think carefully about how they live, so that people respect them. They must continue to believe in Christ. They must continue to love other people. They must continue to be patient and strong.

³ Also, tell the older women to live in a good way. Their lives must show that they respect God. They must not say bad things about other people. They must not be drunks. They must teach what is good. ⁴ In this way, they can teach the young women how they should live. As a result, the young women will love their husbands and their children. ⁵ The young women will control themselves well and be pure in how they live. They will be good housewives who are kind to other people.^[bg] They will respect their husbands. If they live in a good way like that, nobody will be able to say bad things about God's message.

⁶ As for the young men, tell them also to control themselves wisely in how they live. ⁷ You yourself must always do good things too. In that way, you will show the young men how they should live. When you teach the believers, be honest and serious. ⁸ Teach a message that is correct, so that nobody can say anything against it. Then our enemies will be ashamed, because they cannot say anything bad about us.

⁹ As for slaves, tell them to obey their masters always. They must not argue with their masters. Instead, they should work well to please their masters. ¹⁰ Slaves must not take things that belong to their masters. Their masters must be able to trust them completely. Then people will respect the message that we teach about God, our Saviour.

God gives believers a new life

¹¹ God has shown us clearly how very kind he is. He has come to save all people. ¹² Because God is kind, he teaches us to stop living in a bad way. We no longer do the bad things that do not make God happy. We turn away from the bad things that belong to this world. God teaches us to control ourselves wisely while we live in this world. He teaches us to do what is right. He teaches us to please him in the way that we live.

¹³ Remember this: We are waiting for Jesus Christ to return to this world. When he comes, that will make us very happy. Everyone will see how great Jesus Christ is. He is our great God. He is the one who saves us from our sins. ¹⁴ He gave himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. He did that to make us free from every kind of bad thing. As a result, we can be completely good and clean inside ourselves. We can become his own special people, who want to do good things.

¹⁵ You must teach these things to the believers. Help them to live in a good way. Warn them when they do wrong things. Use all the authority that you have as a leader in the church. Make sure that everyone respects you properly.

Do what is right

3 Tell the believers there to respect the government and those who have authority. They must remember to obey their rulers. They must always be ready to help other people. ² They must not say bad things about anyone. They must not quarrel with people. Instead, they should be kind and polite to everyone.

³ Before we believed in Christ, we ourselves were fools too. We did not obey God. We believed a false message. We wanted to do many kinds of bad things to make us happy. We could not stop doing them. Every day we did evil things. We were jealous of other people. People hated us, and we hated each other.

⁴ But then God, our Saviour, showed clearly that he is very kind. He showed that he loves all people. ⁵ God did not save us because of any good things that we ourselves had done. He saved us because he chose to forgive us. God has washed us so that we are clean inside. We have been born again, so that we live a new life. God's Holy Spirit has done this for us. ⁶ Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice to save us. So now God has poured his Holy Spirit into us, to fill us. ⁷ Because God is very kind, he has accepted us as right with himself. As a result, we know that we will receive the good things that God has prepared for us. We know that we will live with God for ever.

⁸ That message is certainly true. So you must teach people the things that I have said in this letter. Make sure that they understand them well. Then the people who have believed in God will be careful to do good things. Good things like that will help everyone.

⁹ But stay away from people who argue about silly things. They study long lists of their families' names from years ago. Refuse to quarrel with people like that. Refuse to argue about the rules in God's Law. All those kinds of things have no value and they do not help anyone. ¹⁰ If someone teaches a false message that causes trouble, warn him. If you warn him twice and he still does not stop, stay away from him. ¹¹ You know that a person like that has chosen not to believe the true message. He knows that he is doing a bad thing, but he continues to do it.

Paul finishes his letter

¹² I will send either Artemas or Tychicus to you.^[bh] After one of them has arrived, please come to meet me in Nicopolis. Come as quickly as you can. I have decided that I will stay in Nicopolis during the winter.^[bi]

¹³ Please help Zenas, the lawyer, and Apollos as much as you can.^[bj] Make sure that they have everything that they need for their journey. ¹⁴ Our Christian friends there must learn to do good things. They should supply things to people who need help. That will show that their lives are really useful.

¹⁵ Everyone who is here with me says ‘hello’ to you. Please say ‘hello’ on our behalf to the believers there who love us. I pray that God will continue to be very kind to all of you.

Paul says ‘Hello’ to Philemon

¹ This letter is from me, Paul. I am in prison because I serve Christ Jesus. Our Christian friend Timothy is here with me.

We are writing to you, Philemon. You are our friend, and we love you. You work on behalf of Christ, as we do. ² We say ‘hello’ also to Apphia, who is like a sister to us. And we say ‘hello’ to Archippus, who serves Christ like a soldier, as we do. We also say ‘hello’ to the group of Christians who meet in your home.

³ I pray that God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. I pray that they will give you peace in your minds.

Paul thanks God because of Philemon

⁴ When I pray for you, I always thank my God when I think about you. ⁵ I thank God because people tell me good things about you. You love all God's people and you trust in the Lord Jesus. ⁶ We each have the same faith in Christ as we serve him. So I pray that, as a result, you will become strong. I pray that you will understand more about every good thing that is ours because of Christ. ⁷ My friend, you have helped God's people to feel stronger. Your love for them has made me very happy. It makes me feel stronger too.

Paul asks Philemon to help Onesimus

⁸ I want to ask you to do something. I am sure that Christ has given me authority. So I could tell you strongly what you should do. ⁹ But instead, because of love, I will ask you, ‘Please do it.’ I, Paul, am an old man. Also, I am in prison now because I serve Christ Jesus. ¹⁰ So I am asking you to help Onesimus, who is like my own child. I taught him about Jesus while I was in prison. Because of that, he now has life with God. I am like his father. ¹¹ Before he trusted Jesus, Onesimus did not really help you. But now he can help both you and me.^[bk]

¹² So I am now sending him back to you. Because I love him, it is like I am sending you my own heart. ¹³ I wanted to keep him here with me, to help me on your behalf. I am in prison here because I taught people the good news about Jesus. ¹⁴ But I did not want to do anything unless you agreed. I wanted you to help me because you really want to help. I did not want to make you do it.

¹⁵ When Onesimus ran away from you, perhaps God let that happen. Onesimus left you for a short time so that you could now have him back for ever. ¹⁶ You can have him back again not only as your slave. He will be something much better than a slave for you. He will be like a brother that you love. I love him very much. But now you will love him even more. He will serve you as a slave, but he will also serve the Lord, as you do.

¹⁷ I am your friend. Together we serve God. If you agree with that, please be kind to Onesimus. Accept him in the same way that you would accept me. ¹⁸ If Onesimus has done anything wrong to you, I will make it right again. If he took money from you, I will pay it back. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this myself: ‘I will pay the money back to you.’ But you should remember what I have given to you already. You have life with God because I told you the good news about Jesus.

²⁰ Yes, my friend, please help me now, because we both belong to the Lord. As a Christian friend, help me to feel happier. ²¹ I am sure that you will do what I ask. That is why I have written this letter to you. I know that you will do even more than this to help me.

²² I want to ask you one more thing. Please prepare a room in your home where I can stay. I know that all of you are praying for God to let me go free. As a result, I hope that I will be able to visit you again.

Paul finishes his letter

²³ Epaphras is also here in prison with me because he serves Christ Jesus. He says ‘hello’ to you. ²⁴ Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, who work with me here, also say ‘hello’ to you.

²⁵ I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to all of you.