Greeting

1 Paul, an ^aapostle of Christ Jesus ^bby the will of God according to the ^cpromise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, my beloved ^dchild:

^eGrace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

3 ^fI thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a ^gclear conscience, as I ^hremember you ⁱconstantly in my prayers ^jnight and day. 4 As I remember ^kyour tears, ^lI long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your ^msincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in ⁿyour grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the ^ogift of God, which is in you through the ^playing on of my hands, 7 for God gave us ^qa spirit not of fear but of power and love and ^rself-control.

8 Therefore do not be ^sashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his ^tprisoner, but ^ushare in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and ^vcalled us to¹ a holy calling, ^wnot because of our works but because of his own ^xpurpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^ybefore the ages began,² 10 and which now has been ^zmanifested through the ^aappearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished ^bdeath and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was ^cappointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and ^dI am convinced that ^ehe is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.³ 13 ^fFollow the pattern of the ^gsound⁴ words that you have heard from me, ^hin the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who ⁱdwells within us, guard the good deposit ^jentrusted to you.

15 You are aware that all who are in Asia ^kturned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of ^lOnesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of ^mmy chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

1 You then, my child, ⁿbe strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses ^oentrust to faithful men,⁵ who will be able to teach others also. 3 ^pShare in suffering as a good ^qsoldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not ^rcrowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 ^sIt is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8 Remember Jesus Christ, ^trisen from the dead, the ^uoffspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. ^vBut the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I ^wendure everything ^xfor the sake of the ^yelect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 ^zThe saying is trustworthy, for:

for he cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God

14 Remind them of these things, and ^dcharge them before God⁶ not to ^equarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to ^fpresent yourself to God as one approved,⁷ a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the ^gword of truth. 16 But ^havoid ⁱirreverent babble, for it will lead people into ^jmore and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are ^kHymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have ^lswerved from the truth, ^msaying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ⁿ“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who ^onames the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

20 Now in a great ^phouse there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, ^qsome for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, ^rif anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,⁸ he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ^sready for every good work.

22 So ^tflee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, ^ulove, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant ^vcontroversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant⁹ must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 ^wcorrecting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the ^xsnare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.