Greeting

1 Paul, ^aan apostle of Christ Jesus ^bby the will of God according to ^cthe promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,

2 To Timothy, ^dmy beloved child:

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

Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You

3 ^fI thank God ^gwhom I serve, as did my ancestors, ^hwith a clear conscience, as I remember you ⁱconstantly in my prayers night and day. 4 ^jAs I remember your tears, ^kI long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of ^lyour sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and ^myour mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you ⁿto fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us ^oa spirit not of fear but ^pof power and love and self-control.

8 Therefore ^qdo not be ashamed of ^rthe testimony about our Lord, nor of ^sme his prisoner, but ^tshare in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 ^uwho saved us and ^vcalled us to¹ a holy calling, ^wnot because of our works but because of ^vhis own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus ^xbefore the ages began,² 10 and which now has ^ybeen manifested through ^zthe appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, ^awho abolished death and ^bbrought life and ^cimmortality to light through the gospel, 11 ^dfor which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 ^ewhich is why I suffer as I do. But ^fI am not ashamed, for ^gI know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until ^hthat day ⁱwhat has been entrusted to me.³ 13 ^jFollow ^kthe pattern of ^lthe sound⁴ words ^mthat you have heard from me, in ⁿthe faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit ^owho dwells within us, guard ⁱthe good deposit entrusted to you.

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

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,^{5 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.