2 Ti-mô-thê 1

Greeting

¹From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, sent to proclaim the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, ²to Timothy, my dear son. Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanks for Timothy’s sincere faith

³I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, whenever I remember you in my prayers, as I do night and day. ⁴I remember your tears, and I long to see you, so that my joy may be complete. ⁵I recall your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and which I am sure now lives in you. ⁶That is why I remind you to stir up into flame the gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. ⁷For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment.

Not ashamed of the gospel

⁸So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, share with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. ⁹He saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we had done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before eternal ages began, ¹⁰and now it has been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹For this gospel I was appointed a herald, an apostle and a teacher. ¹²That is why I am suffering as I am. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.^{a 13}Keep to the pattern of sound teaching you heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Deserted by many, refreshed by Onesiphorus

¹⁵You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed that I was in chains. ¹⁷Instead, when he came to Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸May the Lord grant that he find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well all the ways he helped in Ephesus.