2nd TIMOTHY
|
¤1 °1 From Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of his promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, °2 to my dear son Timothy. May grace, mercy and peace be with you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. § God did not give us a spirit of § bashfulness°3 I give thanks to God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. °4 I recall your tears and I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, °5 so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited. °6 For this reason I invite you to fan into a flame the gift of God you received through the laying on of my hands. °7 For God did not confer on us a spirit of bashfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. °8 Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in laboring for the Gospel with the strength of God. °9 He saved us and called us – a calling which proceeds from his holiness. This did not depend on our merits, but on his generosity and his own initiative. This calling given to us from all time in Christ Jesus °10 has just been manifested with the glorious appearance of Christ Jesus, our Lord, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light in his Gospel. °11 Of this message I was made herald, apostle and teacher. °12 For its sake I now suffer this trial, but I am not ashamed, for I know in whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is capable of taking care of all I have entrusted to him until that day. °13 Follow the pattern of the sound doctrine which you have heard from me, concerning faith and love in Christ Jesus. °14 Keep this precious deposit with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. °15 You know that all from the province of Asia have deserted me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes. °16 May God bless the household of Onesiphoras, for he often came to visit me and was not ashamed of my chains. °17 On the contrary, on arriving in Rome he searched for me until he found me. °18 May the Lord grant that he find mercy from the Lord on that day. You well know all the services he rendered at Ephesus. § Labor like a good soldier of Christ¤2 °1 You, my son, be strong with the grace you have in Christ Jesus. °2 Entrust to reliable people everything you have learned from me in the presence of many witnesses, that they may instruct others. °3 Labor like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. °4 No soldier gets involved in civilian trade; the soldier’s aim is to please his commanding officer. °5 No athlete is crowned unless he competes according to the rules. °6 And again, the farmer who tills the land is the first to enjoy the fruits of the harvest. °7 Think over what I am telling you; the Lord will give you understanding in everything. °8 Remember Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, Jesus, son of David, as preached in my Gospel. °9 For this Gospel I labor and even wear chains like an evildoer, but the word of God is not chained. °10 And so I bear everything for the sake of the chosen people, that they, too, may obtain the salvation given to us in Christ Jesus and share eternal glory. °11 This statement is true: If we have died with him, we shall also live withhim; °12 If we endure with him, we
shall reign with him; If we deny him, he will also deny us; °13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself. § Do not fight over words°14 Remind your people of these things and urge them in the presence of God not to fight over words, which does no good, but only ruins those who listen. °15 Be for God an active and proved minister, a blameless worker correctly handling the word of truth. °16 Do not take part in useless conversations, alien to the faith. This leads to a greater lack of faith. °17 Such teaching spreads like gangrene: I am thinking of Hymeneus and Philetus. °18 They strayed from the truth, holding that resurrection has already taken place; and with this they upset the faith of some. °19 But the solid foundations laid by God are not shaken; on them it is written: The Lord knows those who are his,and:Let him who confesses the name of the Lord turn away from evil. °20 In a large house we find not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some are reserved for special uses, others, for ordinary ones. °21 All who clean themselves of what I speak of, will become a noble vessel, useful to the Lord, prepared for any holy purpose. °22 So shun the passions of youth and seek righteousness, faith, love and peace, together with those who call upon the Lord with a pure heart. °23 Avoid stupid and senseless discussions, since such are the cause of misunderstanding. °24 God’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to all, always teaching and patient with those who do not understand, °25 gently correct opponents; perhaps God may grant them to repent and discover the truth, °26 withdrawing them from the snare of the devil who held them captive to his own will. ¤3 °1 Be quite sure that there will be difficult times in the last days. °2 People will become selfish, lovers of money, boastful, conceited, gossips, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy. °3 They will be unable to love and to forgive; they will be slanderers, without self-control, cruel, enemies of good, °4 traitors, shameless, full of pride, more in love with pleasure than with God. °5 They will keep the appearance of piety, while rejecting its demands. Keep away from such people. °6 Of the same kind are those who enter houses and captivate weak women, full of sins, swayed by all kinds of passion, °7 who are always learning but never grasping knowledge of the truth. °8 These people of corrupt mind and false faith oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. °9 Yet they may not go very far, for their folly will be clear to all, as in the case of those two. °10 You, instead, have closely followed my teaching, my way of life, my projects, faith, patience, love, endurance, °11 persecutions and sufferings. You know what happened to me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. How many trials I had to bear! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. °12 All who want to serve God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, °13 while evil persons and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. °14 As for you, continue with what you have learned and what has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you received it. °15 Besides, you have known the Scriptures from childhood; they will give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. °16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, refuting error, for correcting and training in Christian life. °17 Through Scripture the man of God is made expert and thoroughly equipped for every good work. § Preach the Word¤4 °1 In the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by the hope I have of his coming and his kingdom, I urge you °2 to preach the Word, in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking or advising, always with patience and providing instruction. °3 For the time is coming when people will no longer endure sound doctrine but will be so eager to hear what is new, that they will never have enough teachers after their own liking. °4 And they will abandon the truth to hear fables. °5 So be prudent, do not mind your labor, give yourself to your work as an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. °6 As for me the time of sacrifice has arrived, and the moment of my departure has come. °7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. °8 Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness with which the Lord, the just judge, will reward me on that day; and not only me, but all those who have longed for his glorious coming. § Final greetings°9 Do your best to come to me quickly. °10 You must know that Demas has deserted me for the love of this world: he returned to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. °11 Only Luke remains with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is a useful helper in my work. °12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. °13 Bring with you the cloak I left at Troas, in Carpos’ house and also the scrolls, especially the parchments. °14 Alexander the metalworker has caused me great harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. °15 Distrust him for he has been very much opposed to our preaching. °16 At my first hearing in court no one supported me; all deserted me. May the Lord not hold it against them. °17 But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. °18 The Lord will save me from all evil, bringing me to his heavenly kingdom. Glory to him for ever and ever. Amen! °19 Greetings to Prisca and Aquila and to the family of Onesiphorus. °20 Erastus remained in Corinth. I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. °21 Try to come here before the winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers and sisters send you greetings. °22 The Lord be with your spirit. May grace be with you all. The End. |