Greeting

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

² to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Timothy’s Spiritual Heritage

³ ⌞I am thankful⌟¹ to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience ⌞as my ancestors did⌟², when ⌞I remember you constantly⌟³ in my prayers night and day,

1. Literally “I have thankfulness”
2. Literally “from ancestors”
3. Literally “I have remembrance concerning you constantly”

⁴ longing to see you as I¹ remember your tears, so that I may be filled with joy,

1. *Here “as” is supplied as a component of the participle (“remember”) which is understood as temporal

⁵ ⌞remembering the⌟¹ sincere faith in you, which lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that is in you also,

1. Literally “receiving a remembrance of the”

⁶ for which reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands.

⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-discipline.

Exhortation to Share Paul’s Suffering

⁸ Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor me his prisoner, but suffer along with me for the gospel, according to the power of God,

⁹ who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace that was given to us in Christ Jesus ⌞before time began⌟¹,

1. Literally “before times eternal”

¹⁰ but has now been disclosed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,¹ who has abolished death and brought to light life and immortality through the gospel,

1. Some manuscripts have “our Savior Christ Jesus”

¹¹ for which I was appointed a proclaimer and an apostle and a teacher,

¹² for which reason also I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day.

¹³ Hold fast to the pattern of sound words which you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁴ Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

¹⁵ You know this, that all those in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶ May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he refreshed me many times, and was not ashamed of my imprisonment,

¹⁷ but when he¹ was in Rome, he diligently sought me and found me.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was”) which is understood as temporal

¹⁸ May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day! And how much he served me in Ephesus you know very well.