Preach the Word
1I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
6For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Personal Concerns
9Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 10For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 11Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 12And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 13The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. 14Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
The Lord Remains Faithful
16At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
19Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. 21Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
22The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. {The second epistle unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Preach the Word
1 I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom: 2 preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside to fables. 5 But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. 8 From now on, there is stored up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.
Personal Concerns
9 Be diligent to come to me soon, 10 for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander, the coppersmith, did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works, 15 of whom you also must beware; for he greatly opposed our words.
The Lord Remains Faithful
16 At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
(Ephesians 6:21–24; Philippians 4:21–23)
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the house of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick. 21 Be diligent to come before winter. Eubulus salutes you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
Preach the Word
1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.
Personal Concerns
9 Make every effort to come to me quickly, 10 because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is useful to me in the ministry. 12 Tychicus, however, I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 You too should beware of him, for he has vigorously opposed our message.
The Lord Remains Faithful
16 At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them. 17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message would be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles would hear it. So I was delivered from the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
(Ephesians 6:21–24; Philippians 4:21–23)
19 Greet Prisca a and Aquila, as well as the household of Onesiphorus.
20 Erastus has remained at Corinth, and Trophimus I left sick in Miletus.
21 Make every effort to come to me before winter.
Eubulus sends you greetings, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. b
Footnotes:
19 a Prisca is a variant of Priscilla ; see Acts 18:2.
22 b BYZ and TR include Amen.
Preach the Word
1I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge living and dead at his manifestation and his reign -- 2preach the word; be earnest in season, out of season, convict, rebuke, exhort, in all long-suffering and teaching, 3for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers -- itching in the hearing, 4and indeed, from the truth the hearing they shall turn away, and to the fables they shall be turned aside. 5And thou -- watch in all things; suffer evil; do the work of one proclaiming good news; of thy ministration make full assurance,
6for I am already being poured out, and the time of my release hath arrived; 7the good strife I have striven, the course I have finished, the faith I have kept, 8henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of the righteousness that the Lord -- the Righteous Judge -- shall give to me in that day, and not only to me, but also to all those loving his manifestation.
Personal Concerns
9Be diligent to come unto me quickly, 10for Demas forsook me, having loved the present age, and went on to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, 11Lukas only is with me; Markus having taken, bring with thyself, for he is profitable to me for ministration; 12and Tychicus I sent to Ephesus; 13the cloak that I left in Troas with Carpus, coming, bring thou and the books -- especially the parchments. 14Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; may the Lord repay to him according to his works, 15of whom also do thou beware, for greatly hath he stood against our words;
The Lord Remains Faithful
16in my first defence no one stood with me, but all forsook me, (may it not be reckoned to them!) 17and the Lord stood by me, and did strengthen me, that through me the preaching might be fully assured, and all the nations might hear, and I was freed out of the mouth of a lion, 18and the Lord shall free me from every evil work, and shall save me -- to his heavenly kingdom; to whom is the glory to the ages of the ages! Amen.
Final Greetings
19Salute Prisca and Aquilas, and Onesiphorus' household; 20Erastus did remain in Corinth, and Trophimus I left in Miletus infirm; 21be diligent to come before winter. Salute thee doth Eubulus, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren.
22The Lord Jesus Christ is with thy spirit; the grace is with you! Amen.
Final Charge to Preach the Word
¹ In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: ² Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
Paul’s Farewell and Legacy
⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.
Personal Instructions
⁹ Do your best to come to me quickly, ¹⁰ for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.
¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. ¹⁵ You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.
The Lord’s Faithfulness
¹⁶ At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
¹⁹ Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus. ²¹ Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. ²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
Footnotes:
1.“Poured out like a drink offering” (verse 6) refers to the Jewish and pagan practice of pouring out wine or oil as a sacrifice to the gods. Paul uses this image to describe his life as an offering to God, approaching its end.
2.“The crown of righteousness” (verse 8) is a metaphor for the reward of eternal life. The Greek word stephanos refers to a victor’s crown, often given to athletes. Here it symbolizes Paul’s reward for enduring faith.
3.“Demas… has deserted me” (verse 10) refers to a former companion of Paul who left him for worldly pursuits. The Greek word egkataleipo implies a severe form of abandonment.
4.“The lion’s mouth” (verse 17) could refer to literal danger, such as a metaphor for life-threatening opposition, or an allusion to facing judgment in Rome, similar to Daniel’s deliverance from the lion’s den.
5.“Parchments” (verse 13) refers to writing materials used for important documents. These were likely copies of Scripture or other important texts that Paul wanted to continue studying and sharing.
6.“Alexander the metalworker” (verse 14) likely caused Paul trouble by opposing his message or possibly betraying him in court. The name Alexander was common, but his identity here is tied to harmful opposition.
7.“Delivered from the lion’s mouth” (verse 17) evokes a powerful image of rescue from extreme peril. The phrase may have deeper metaphorical meaning for deliverance from opposition or imminent death.
