1 PAUL’Sa SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY Greeting From Paul, an apostleb of Christ Jesus by God’s will-in line with the good news of Life that’s in Christ Jesus.
2 To Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God the Father, and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 Prayer of Thanksgiving and Encouragement to Hold On I thank God for you, as I serve God with a clean conscience, in the tradition of my ancestors. I constantly remember you in my prayers, night and day.
4 I remember your tears, and I really want to see you, so I can be full of joy.
5 I’ve been thinking of the realc faith that’s in you-which first found a home in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice.d And I’m convinced it’s in you too.
6 That’s why I’m reminding you to stir up the fire of God’s gift in you-which you got when I laid my hands on you.e
7 After all, God hasn’t given us a spirit of fearfulness, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
8 So don’t be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, his prisoner. No, with the power of God, join in the sufferings that go along with preaching the good news.
9 God has saved us, and has given us a holy calling.f It’s not because of anything we’ve done-not at all. It’s because of God’s own purpose and grace.g God gave that grace to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
10 And it’s now been revealed by the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has abolished death, by shining the light of Life and immortalityh through the good news.
11 That’s the reasoni I was appointed a preacher, apostle,j and teacher.k
12 And that’s why I’m going through these sufferings. But I’m not ashamed. Because I know Who I believe in. And I’m convinced that Jesusl is strong enough to protect what I’ve left in his care. On That Day, he’s going to give it back to me.m
13 Hold onto the example of healthy teachings that you’ve heard from me. Hold onto it in faith, and in the love that’s in Christ Jesus.
14 Protect the precious thing that’s been left in your care.n Protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us.
15 As you know, everybody in the province of Asiao has turned their back on me-for example, Phygelusp and Hermogenes.q
16 May the Lord show mercy to the familyr of Onesiphorus!s Because he gave me a place to restt lots of times. And he hasn’t been ashamed of my imprisonment.u
17 Far from it. When he was in Rome, he activelyv looked for me, and he found me.
18 May the Lord give him his own mercy on That Day! And you know very well the ways he served me when I was in Ephesus.w
1 Be a Strong Soldier for Christ Jesus So be strong, my son!a Be strong withb the grace that’s in Christ Jesus.
2 And pass on the things you’ve heard from me in front of lots of witnesses. Pass them on to faithful people-people who’ll be able, in turn,c to teach others.
3 Join me in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 Nobody on active military service gets themselves tangled up in day-to-day business matters. They have to be accountable tod the person that recruited them.
5 And also, suppose somebody competes in a sport. They aren’t crowned the winner unless they compete within the rules.
6 The farm worker that works hard should get their share of the harvest first.
7 Think about what I’m saying, ande the Lord will give you understanding about it all.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, David’s descendent, who’s risen from among the dead according to the good news that I preach.f
9 That’s what I’m suffering for-to the point of being chained up in prison as a criminal. But God’s messageg isn’t bound!
10 And soh I’m enduring all these things for the sake of the people God has chosen.i It’s so that they can get the salvation that’s in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
11 This saying is trustworthy: If we’ve died with him, we’re going to live with him too.
12 If we hold on, we’re going to reign with him too. If we deny him, he’ll deny us too.
13 If we’re faithless, he stays faithful, Because he can’t deny himself.
14 Always Encourage and Warn People Remind people of these things. Warn them in front of Godj not to argue back and forth over words. They don’t serve any purpose, except to totally mess up those who listen.
15 Do your best to pass muster with God. Show yourself to be a worker with nothing to be ashamed of-cut a straight line with the true message.
16 And stay away from people talking irreligious nonsense. Because they’re just going to go further, into more irreverence.
17 Their message is going to spread like gangrene.k For example, Hymenaeusl and Philetus.m
18 They’ve gotten way off, as far as the truth goes. They say that the resurrection has already happened,n and they’re upsetting some people’s faith.
19 But God’s foundation stands firm, and it has this seal: The Sovereign One knows his own.o. And, Everybody who names the name of the Sovereign One has to turn away from wrongdoing.p
20 And in a large household, there aren’t only gold and silver bowls and things-there are wooden ones, and ones made of pottery. Some are valuable, and some are ordinary.q
21 So if somebody washes themselves clean from this kind of thing,r they’re going to be a valuable one, made holy, useful to the owner of the house. They’ll be prepared for every good use.s
22 Go After Integrity, Faith, Love, and Peace So avoid the lusts that go along with being young.t Instead, join people whou call on the Lord out of a clean heart-go after integrity, faith, love, and peace.
23 But stay away from foolish, ignorantv speculations. You know they just lead to conflicts.w
24 And a servant of the Lord shouldn’t be fighting-just the opposite. They should be kind to everyone. They should be able to teach, and be tolerant.
25 They should gently instruct their opponents. That way, maybe God will give them a change of heartx that will lead to a recognition of the truth-
26 and they’ll come to their senses, and escape from the devil’s trap. They had been captured by him so they would do what he wanted.
1 Bad Times are Coming in the Last Days Now, you should know that there are going to be bad times in the last days.a
2 Because people are going to be self-satisfied,b money-loving braggarts. They’ll be arrogant, foul-mouthed, and disobedient to their parents. They’ll be ungrateful and unholy.
3 They’ll be callous and obstinate. They’ll spread vicious rumors.c They’ll be wild and out of control, with no love of what’s good.
4 They’ll be treacherous and reckless. They’ll be conceited, and more in love with pleasure than with God.
5 They’ll have an appearance of reverence for God, but they’ll have denied the power of it. Just stay away from them!
6 Some of them are men whod cleverly slip into households-and they capture weak-minded women who are loaded down with sins. They’re led around by various sorts of obsessions.e
7 They’re always learning, but they can never get to the point of recognizing the truth.f
8 And these men work just like Jannes and Jambres,g who stood against Moses. These people stand against the truth. They’re people who’ve totally corrupted their minds. They’ve failed the test as far as the faith goes.
9 But they won’t get any further. Because their foolishness is going to become obvious to everybody-just like what happened to Jannes and Jambres.h
10 Paul’s Challenge to Timothy But as for you, you’ve followed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose,i my faith, my patience with people, my love, my endurance.
11 You’ve followed my persecutions and my sufferings-the sorts of things that happened to me in Antioch,j Iconiumk and Lystral.-all the persecutionsm I’ve endured. And the Lord has saved me from them all.
12 But then again, everybody that wants to live in devotion to Christ Jesus is going to be persecuted.n
13 But evilo people and fakes are going to go from bad to worse. They’ll be deceiving people and being deceived themselves.
14 But as for you, stay with the things you’ve learned and believed. Because you know the people you learned them from.
15 And you know that you’ve known the holy scriptures since you were a baby. They can give you wisdom that leads to salvation,p through your faith in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is inspired by God.q And so it’s useful for teaching, challenging, and correcting, and for training people in the ways of right living.r
17 It’s given so that the person who belongs to Gods can be completely equipped for every good endeavor.
1 I challenge you in front of God, and in front of Christ Jesus, who’s going to judge the living and the dead-and I challenge you by his arrival and his kingdom:
2 Preach the message! Give it your full attention-when it’s convenient, and when it’s not convenient.a Confront people. Tell them off. Encourage them.b Usec all your patience, and all your teaching skills.d
3 Because a time is coming when people will not stand for healthy teaching-just the opposite. They are going to pile up teachers for themselves in line with their own lusts. They’ll be getting their ears tickled.
4 And they’ll turn their ears away from the truth. They’ll turn to myths.
5 But as for you, keep your head at all times.e Endure suffering. Do your work as an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry.
6 Because I’m already being poured out as a drink offering. The moment of my departure has arrived.
7 I’ve run the good race; I’ve finished the course; I’ve kept the faith.
8 From now on, what’s in store for me is the crown of integrityf as my prize. The Lord, the fair judge of these games, is going to award it to me on That Day.g And not just to me-it’ll also be given to everyone who has looked forward with love to his appearing.h
9 Practical Matters Make a big effort to come to me quickly.
10 Because Demasi has left me-he’s in love with the present world,j and has gone to Thessalonica.k Crescensl has gone to Galatia,m and Titus to Dalmatia.n
11 Luke is the only person with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you-he’s valuable to me as a helper.o
12 By the way, I’ve sent Tychicus off to Ephesus.p
13 When you come, bring the cape I left behind in Troas with Carpusq.-and the scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the metalworker did me a lot of harm. The Lord will pay him back in line with the things he did.
15 You watch out for him too. Because he stood very much against our teachings.
16 At my first defense, nobody stood by me. Just the opposite: everybody deserted me-may God not hold it against them.r
17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me-so that the message of the good news could be fully preached through me, and all the Gentiles would hear it. And so I got rescued from the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord is going to rescue me from every evil thing that people try to do to me.s And he’s going to save me to be a part of his Heavenly Reign. Glory to him, forever and ever! Amen.
19 Final Greetings Say hello to Prisca and Aquila,t and to the familyu of Onesiphorus.v
20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus in Miletusw because he was sick.
21 Make a big effort to come before winter. Eubulus, Pudens,x Linus, and Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters, say hello to you.
22 May the Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.y