Chapter 1

¹ Paul, an Apostle of the Anointed Jesus by the Will of God and by the promise of life in the Anointed Jesus, ² to my loved child Timothy; May you find loving care, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from the Anointed Jesus, our Lord.

³ I'm thankful to The God whom I’m worshiping with a clean conscience (as did my forefathers) that I never forget you in my prayers, which I offer night and day. ⁴ I remember you with tears and I long to see you, so that I can be filled with joy. ⁵ For I fondly remember the unhypocritical faith that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice had first, and which I’m confident that you have also. So this is the reason why I want to remind you to rekindle the gift of God that you received when I first laid my hands on you.

⁷ Since God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and good sense; ⁸ don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… or of me, a prisoner for his sake. So by the power of God, come and share with us in suffering evil for the good news. ⁹ For He didn't save us or call us to holiness because of anything that we’ve done, but because it has been His Will to show us His loving kindness through Jesus the Anointed One since before ages time. ¹⁰ And all of this can now be seen through the coming of our Savior the Anointed Jesus, who has done away with death and is shining a light on life and freedom from corruption through this good news ¹¹ of which I was appointed a preacher, an Apostle, and a teacher.

¹² This is the reason why I’m suffering these things and why I'm unashamed… because I really know this one in whom I've put my faith, and I’m confident that he'll guard everything that I've entrusted to him until that Day. ¹³ Likewise, you should hang onto the healthy words that you heard from me and which I laid out for you through the love that is in the Anointed Jesus, ¹⁴ and you should guard these things that you’ve been given through the Holy Breath that dwells within each of us!

¹⁵ I'm sure that you're aware of the fact that all those in the [province of] Asia have turned their backs on me, and especially PhyGelus and HermoGenes. ¹⁶ But may the Lord’s mercy rest on the household of OnesiPhorus, because he has often brought me refreshment and he's never been ashamed of my chains. ¹⁷ Then, even when he came to Rome, he diligently started searching for me and quickly found me. ¹⁸ So may Jehovah grant him mercy from the Lord in that Day. Yes, it would be good if you knew all the services that he provided for me in Ephesus.

Chapter 2

¹ However, as for you my child; Keep growing stronger in the loving care of the Anointed Jesus, ² and keep on teaching the things that you heard from so many witnesses while you were with me to faithful men who are qualified to teach others. ³ Then as a fine soldier of the Anointed Jesus, [be prepared to] endure the hardships. ⁴ For no soldier can just go on living his life as he once did, since he wants to please the one who enlisted him. ⁵ And the same is true of an athlete… he can’t win the prize unless he plays by the rules. ⁶ However, the hardworking field-hand must also be the first to eat the fruit. ⁷ If you'll visualize what I’m saying, the Lord will truly give you insight into everything.

⁸ Remember that the good news I’ve been preaching teaches us that Jesus the Anointed (the seed of David) was raised from the dead! ⁹ And it’s over this that I’m being persecuted and imprisoned like a criminal. However, the word of God hasn’t been locked up with me, ¹⁰ and the reason why I keep on enduring all of this is for the sake of the elected ones… so they can gain the salvation that comes from being in the Anointed Jesus and receiving age-long glory. ¹¹ For you can believe the saying, If we die together, we'll also live together; ¹² and if we hang on, we’ll also rule together as kings! But if we deny this, he’ll deny us. ¹³ Yet, even if we’re unfaithful, he’ll be faithful, because he can’t deny himself.

¹⁴ I want you to keep on reminding [the brothers] about these things, and I want you to instruct them in the sight of God not to be arguing over words, for this is just a waste of time and it's a snare to those who listen to it.

¹⁵ As for you; zealously keep on seeking God’s approval, so you can be accepted by Him as a workman who has nothing to be ashamed of and who lays out the truth in straight ways. ¹⁶ Avoid speaking about worldly and foolish topics, because this leads [people] away from pure worship, ¹⁷ and whatever is said [spreads like] a field of gangrene! That's what happened to Hymenaeus and PhileTos; ¹⁸ they got away from the truth and started teaching that the resurrection has already happened, which misdirected the faith of some. ¹⁹ However, you have a solid foundation in God and you have His seal [of approval]. So as we were told: ‘Jehovah knows those who [respect Him],’ and, ‘Let everyone who speaks in the Name of the Lord stop doing what’s unrighteous.’

²⁰ Now, in a large house there are not only containers that are made of gold and silver, there also those [that are made] of wood and pottery… because some were made for honorable purposes, while others were made for dishonorable purposes. ²¹ Likewise, if anyone chooses to be clean, he must remove [everything that’s dishonorable] from himself so he can become a container for an honorable purpose that is holy and useful to his master, and he must ready himself to do every sort of good work.

²² So, flee from the desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all the rest of those who are calling on the Lord with a clean heart. ²³ However, avoid foolish and ignorant questions, because you know that they just create fights… ²⁴ and a slave of the Lord shouldn’t be fighting. Rather, we should be gentle with everyone, we should be good teachers, and we should know how to keep our composure in bad [situations] ²⁵ so that we can calmly teach those who disagree… for perhaps God will lead them to repentance and to an accurate knowledge of the truth ²⁶ so that they may escape the Slanderer’s snares and return to their good senses, once they realize how they’ve been lured into his cage.

Chapter 3

¹ Recognize that the last days will bring fierce times. ² For people will just love themselves and money, and they’ll be braggarts, arrogant blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and disloyal. ³ They won't have any natural (family) love; rather, they'll be disagreeable, they’ll be slanderers who don’t have any self-control, and they’ll be wild people who won’t love anything that’s good. ⁴ They’ll also be betrayers who are headstrong and proud, and who care more for pleasures than for God. ⁵ So although they'll practice some form of religion, they'll deny its power.

You should reject people like this, ⁶ because it’s from among such ones that certain men will arise who will work their way into homes and seduce weak women that are loaded down with sins (because they have so many desires) ⁷ and who will always be just students that can never come to a higher knowledge of truth.

⁸ So, whenever you must deal with men who are resisting the truth and who are corrupting their own minds (making themselves worthless when it comes to the faith), follow the example of Moses when he opposed JanNes and JamBres, ⁹ so they can’t make any more inroads. Then (as happened [to JanNes and JamBres]) their unreasonableness will become plain to everyone.

¹⁰ Now, you've closely followed my teachings, my directions, my purposes, my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. ¹¹ [However, you’ve also had to share in] my persecution and my sufferings (such as the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra) and you’ve endured the same types of opposition that I’ve had to endure (from which the Lord has delivered me). ¹² But understand that everyone who wants to worship God through the Anointed Jesus is going to be persecuted, ¹³ because wicked and deceitful men will just get worse and worse, misleading and being misled.

¹⁴ As for you; stick with the things that you’ve learned and were convinced to believe… and remember from whom you learned them. ¹⁵ For you’ve been familiar with the Holy Writings since you were a child, and they can make you wise for salvation through your faith in the Anointed Jesus. ¹⁶ [Remember that] all the Holy Writings were inspired by God and they are good for teaching, for correcting, for setting things straight, and for providing righteous discipline… ¹⁷ they qualify a man of God by providing him with whatever he needs to do every sort of good work.

Chapter 4

¹ So I solemnly charge you in the sight of God and the Anointed Jesus (who’s going to judge the living and the dead when he manifests himself in his Kingdom) ² to keep on preaching the Word! Keep on doing it in good times and bad, as you offer criticism, evaluate, and encourage… but do this patiently and with all your teaching skills. ³ For the time is coming when they won’t put up with life-giving teachings anymore. Rather, they will prefer to follow their own desires and they'll gather teachers for themselves who will tell them whatever they wish to hear. ⁴ Yes, they’ll stop listening to the truth, but they'll all show up when it comes to listening to fables.

⁵ As for you; be serious about everything, endure what’s bad, preach the good news, and completely carry out your service!

⁶ Meanwhile, though I’m already being poured out as a drink offering and the time for my departure (death) is almost here; ⁷ I can say that I’ve wrestled the fine match, I've finished the race, and I’ve obeyed the faith. ⁸ So all that’s left for me now is to lay down my gold crown, which the Lord (who isn’t over just me, but is over everyone who loves the way in which he showed himself) will return to me in that Day.

⁹ Hurry… come to me quickly! ¹⁰ For Demas has let me down and gone to Thessalonica (since he still loves this system of things), Kreskes has gone to Galatia, Titus has gone to Dalmatia, ¹¹ and Luke is the only one who is here with me. So, go find Mark and bring him with you, because his services are very useful to me. ¹² Oh yes, I also sent Tychikus off to Ephesus. ¹³ And when you come here, bring along the robe that I left with Carpus in Troas… and the scrolls (especially the parchments).

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith has testified against me and said many bad things. But the Lord will repay him for what he has done. ¹⁵ So watch out for him, because he really opposes everything that we say!

¹⁶ Unfortunately, nobody stayed with me during my first court hearing… but though they all left me, I don’t want this held against them, ¹⁷ because the Lord stood by me. Yes he gave me strength so that the preaching might be completed through me and that all the gentiles might hear it. As the result, I was virtually saved from the lion’s mouth! ¹⁸ But for a fact, the Lord will continue to save me from every sort of wickedness and bring me into his celestial Kingdom. May he be glorified through the ages of ages… may it be so!

¹⁹ Give my greetings to Priska and Aquila, and to the household of OnesiPhorus.

²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth and I left Trophimus at Miletus, because he was sick.

²¹ Hurry and get here before winter arrives!

EuBoulos sends you his greetings, as do Poudes, Linos, Klaudia, and all the brothers.

²² May the Lord bless the spirit you’re showing, and may his loving care be with all of you.

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