A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

1 You then, ^wmy child, ^xbe strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and ^ywhat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses ^zentrust to faithful men,^{1 a}who will be able to teach others also. 3 ^bShare in suffering as ^ca good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier ^dgets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 ^eAn athlete is not ^fcrowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is ^gthe 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, ^hrisen from the dead, the ⁱoffspring of David, ^jas preached in my gospel, 9 ^kfor which I am suffering, ^lbound with chains as a criminal. But ^mthe word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore ⁿI endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain ^othe salvation that is in Christ Jesus with ^peternal glory. 11 The saying is ^qtrustworthy, for:

for ^xhe cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God

14 Remind them of these things, and ^ycharge them before God^{2 z}not to quarrel about words, ^awhich does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,³ a worker ^bwho has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But ^cavoid ^dirreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are ^eHymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, ^fsaying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ^g“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone ^hwho names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

20 Now in ⁱa great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, ^jsome for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, ^kif anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,⁴ he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ^lready for every good work.

22 So ^mflee ⁿyouthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with ^othose who call on the Lord ^pfrom a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant ^qcontroversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And ^rthe Lord’s servant⁵ must not be quarrelsome but ^skind to everyone, ^table to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents ^uwith gentleness. God ^vmay perhaps grant them repentance ^wleading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from ^xthe snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Godlessness in the Last Days

1 But understand this, that ^yin the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be ^zlovers of self, ^alovers of money, ^bproud, ^barrogant, abusive, ^bdisobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 ^cheartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, ^dnot loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, ^eswollen with conceit, ^flovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but ^gdenying its power. ^hAvoid such people. 6 For among them are ⁱthose who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to ^jarrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as ^kJannes and Jambres ^lopposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, ^mmen corrupted in mind and ⁿdisqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, ^oas was that of those two men.

All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God

10 ^pYou, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me ^qat Antioch, ^rat Iconium, and ^sat Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet ^tfrom them all ^uthe Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to ^vlive a godly life in Christ Jesus ^wwill be persecuted, 13 while ^xevil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and ^ybeing deceived. 14 But as for you, ^zcontinue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom¹ you learned it 15 and how ^afrom childhood you have been acquainted with ^bthe sacred writings, ^cwhich are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 ^dAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that ^ethe man of God² may be complete, ^fequipped ^gfor every good work.

Preach the Word

1 ^hI charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, ⁱwho is to judge the living and the dead, and by ^jhis appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^kreprove, rebuke, and ^lexhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 ^mFor the time is coming when people will not endure ⁿsound¹ teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and ^owill turn away from listening to the truth and ^pwander off into myths. 5 As for you, ^qalways be sober-minded, ^rendure suffering, do the work of ^san evangelist, ^tfulfill your ministry.

6 For ^uI am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my ^vdeparture has come. 7 ^wI have fought the good fight, ^xI have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is ^ylaid up for me ^zthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, ^athe righteous judge, will award to me on ^bthat day, and not only to me but also to all ^cwho have loved his appearing.