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Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

A reading plan that walks through the entire New Testament in 24 weeks of daily readings.

Duration: 168 days

2 Timothy 3-4

Chapter 3

The Dangers of the Last Days.^[a] ¹But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days.^(A) ²People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious,^(B) ³callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, ⁴traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them.^(C) ⁶For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires,^(D) ⁷always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth.^(E) ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth—people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith.^(F) ⁹But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two.

Paul’s Example and Teaching.^[b] ¹⁰You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, persecutions that I endured. Yet from all these things the Lord delivered me.^(G) ¹²In fact, all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.^(H) ¹³But wicked people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. ¹⁴But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it,^(I) ¹⁵and that from infancy you have known [the] sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.^(J) ¹⁶^[c]All scripture^(K) is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness,^[d] ¹⁷so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.^(L)

Chapter 4

Solemn Charge.^[e] ¹I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power:^(M) ²proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.^(N) ³For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,^[f] will accumulate teachers^(O) ⁴and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.^(P) ⁵But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.

Reward for Fidelity. ⁶^[g]^(Q)For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷^[h]I have competed well; I have finished the race;^(R) I have kept the faith. ⁸^[i]From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day,^(S) and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.

IV. Personal Requests and Final Greetings

Paul’s Loneliness. ⁹^[j]Try to join me soon, ¹⁰for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia,^[k] and Titus to Dalmatia.^(T) ¹¹Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry.^(U) ¹²I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.^(V) ¹³When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.^(W)

¹⁴Alexander^[l] the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.^(X) ¹⁵You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

¹⁶At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them!^(Y) ¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.^(Z) ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.^(AA)

Final Greeting. ¹⁹Greet Prisca and Aquila^[m] and the family of Onesiphorus.^(AB) ²⁰Erastus^[n] remained in Corinth, while I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.^(AC) ²¹Try to get here before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus,^[o] Claudia, and all the brothers send greetings.

²²The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with all of you.^(AD)

Footnotes

3:1–9 The moral depravity and false teaching that will be rampant in the last days are already at work (2 Tm 3:1–5). The frivolous and superficial, too, devoid of the true spirit of religion, will be easy victims of those who pervert them by falsifying the truth (2 Tm 3:6–8), just as Jannes and Jambres, Pharaoh’s magicians of Egypt (Ex 7:11–12, 22), discredited the truth in Moses’ time. Exodus does not name the magicians, but the two names are widely found in much later Jewish, Christian, and even pagan writings. Their origins are legendary.
3:10–17 Paul’s example for Timothy includes persecution, a frequent emphasis in the Pastorals. Timothy is to be steadfast to what he has been taught and to scripture. The scriptures are the source of wisdom, i.e., of belief in and loving fulfillment of God’s word revealed in Christ, through whom salvation is given.
3:16–17 Useful for teaching…every good work: because as God’s word the scriptures share his divine authority. It is exercised through those who are ministers of the word.
3:16 All scripture is inspired by God: this could possibly also be translated, “All scripture inspired by God is useful for….” In this classic reference to inspiration, God is its principal author, with the writer as the human collaborator. Thus the scriptures are the word of God in human language. See also 2 Pt 1:20–21.
4:1–5 The gravity of the obligation incumbent on Timothy to preach the word can be gauged from the solemn adjuration: in the presence of God, and of Christ coming as universal judge, and by his appearance and his kingly power (2 Tm 4:1). Patience, courage, constancy, and endurance are required despite the opposition, hostility, indifference, and defection of many to whom the truth has been preached (2 Tm 4:2–5).
4:3 Insatiable curiosity: literally, “with itching ears.”
4:6 The apostle recognizes his death through martyrdom to be imminent. He regards it as an act of worship in which his blood will be poured out in sacrifice; cf. Ex 29:38–40; Phil 2:17.
4:7 At the close of his life Paul could testify to the accomplishment of what Christ himself foretold concerning him at the time of his conversion, “I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16).
4:8 When the world is judged at the parousia, all who have eagerly looked for the Lord’s appearing and have sought to live according to his teachings will be rewarded. The crown is a reference to the laurel wreath placed on the heads of victorious athletes and conquerors in war; cf. 2 Tm 2:5; 1 Cor 9:25.
4:9–13 Demas either abandoned the work of the ministry for worldly affairs or, perhaps, gave up the faith itself (2 Tm 4:10). Luke (2 Tm 4:11) may have accompanied Paul on parts of his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:10–12; 20:5–7). Notice the presence of the first personal pronoun “we” in these Acts passages, suggesting to some that Luke (or at least some traveling companion of Paul’s) was the author of Acts. Mark, once rejected by Paul (Acts 13:13; 15:39), is now to render him a great service (2 Tm 4:11); cf. Col 4:10; Phlm 24. For Tychicus, see Eph 6:21; cf. also Acts 20:4; Col 4:7.
4:10 Galatia: some manuscripts read “Gaul” or “Gallia.”
4:14–18 Alexander: an opponent of Paul’s preaching (2 Tm 4:14–15), perhaps the one who is mentioned in 1 Tm 1:20. Despite Paul’s abandonment by his friends in the province of Asia (cf. 2 Tm 1:15–16), the divine assistance brought this first trial to a successful issue, even to the point of making the gospel message known to those who participated in or witnessed the trial (2 Tm 4:16–17).
4:19 Prisca and Aquila: they assisted Paul in his ministry in Corinth (Acts 18:2–3) and Ephesus (Acts 18:19, 26; 1 Cor 16:19). They risked death to save his life, and all the Gentile communities are indebted to them (Rom 16:3–5).
4:20 Erastus: he was the treasurer of the city of Corinth (Rom 16:24); cf. also Acts 19:22. Trophimus: from the province of Asia, he accompanied Paul from Greece to Troas (Acts 20:4–5).
4:21 Linus: Western tradition sometimes identified this Linus with the supposed successor of Peter as bishop of Rome, and Claudia as the mother of Linus (Apostolic Constitutions, fourth century).

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.