2 Timothy 4
English Standard Version
Preach the Word
4 (A)I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, (B)who is to judge the living and the dead, and by (C)his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; (D)reprove, rebuke, and (E)exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 (F)For the time is coming when people will not endure (G)sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and (H)will turn away from listening to the truth and (I)wander off into myths. 5 As for you, (J)always be sober-minded, (K)endure suffering, do the work of (L)an evangelist, (M)fulfill your ministry.
6 For (N)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my (O)departure has come. 7 (P)I have fought the good fight, (Q)I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is (R)laid up for me (S)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, (T)the righteous judge, will award to me on (U)that day, and not only to me but also to all (V)who have loved his appearing.
Personal Instructions
9 (W)Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For (X)Demas, (Y)in love with (Z)this present world, (AA)has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,[b] (AB)Titus to Dalmatia. 11 (AC)Luke alone is with me. Get (AD)Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 12 (AE)Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 (AF)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; (AG)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. 16 At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. (AH)May it not be charged against them! 17 But (AI)the Lord stood by me and (AJ)strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and (AK)all the Gentiles might hear it. So (AL)I was rescued (AM)from the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. (AN)To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
19 Greet (AO)Prisca and Aquila, and (AP)the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left (AQ)Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. 21 (AR)Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.[c]
22 The Lord be (AS)with your spirit. (AT)Grace be with you.[d]
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 4:3 Or healthy
- 2 Timothy 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul
- 2 Timothy 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
- 2 Timothy 4:22 The Greek for you is plural
2 Timothy 4
New American Standard Bible
Preach the Word
4 (A)I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to (B)judge the living and the dead, and by His (C)appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach (D)the word; be ready [a]in season and out of season; (E)correct, rebuke, and [b]exhort, with [c]great (F)patience and instruction. 3 For (G)the time will come when they will not tolerate (H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, 4 and they (I)will turn their ears away from the truth and (J)will turn aside to myths. 5 But as for you, (K)use self-restraint in all things, (L)endure hardship, do the work of an (M)evangelist, fulfill your (N)ministry.
6 For I am already being (O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of (P)my departure has come. 7 (Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished (R)the course, I have kept (S)the faith; 8 in the future there (T)is reserved for me (U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on (V)that day; and not only to me, but also to (W)all who have loved His (X)appearing.
Personal Concerns
9 (Y)Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for (Z)Demas, having loved (AA)this present [d]world, has deserted me and gone to (AB)Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to [e](AC)Galatia, (AD)Titus to Dalmatia. 11 (AE)Only (AF)Luke is with me. Take along (AG)Mark and bring him with you, (AH)for he is useful to me for service. 12 But I have sent (AI)Tychicus to (AJ)Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the overcoat which I left at (AK)Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 (AL)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; (AM)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself too, for he vigorously opposed our [f]teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; (AN)may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and (AO)strengthened me, so that through me (AP)the proclamation might [g]be (AQ)fully accomplished, and that all (AR)the Gentiles might hear; and I was (AS)rescued out of (AT)the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will [h](AU)bring me safely to His (AV)heavenly kingdom; (AW)to [i]Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and (AX)Aquila, and (AY)the household of Onesiphorus. 20 (AZ)Erastus remained at (BA)Corinth, but I left (BB)Trophimus sick at (BC)Miletus. 21 (BD)Make every effort to come before (BE)winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.
22 (BF)The Lord be with your spirit. (BG)Grace be with you.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 4:2 I.e., whether it is convenient or not
- 2 Timothy 4:2 Or encourage
- 2 Timothy 4:2 Lit all
- 2 Timothy 4:10 Or age
- 2 Timothy 4:10 One early ms Gaul
- 2 Timothy 4:15 Lit words
- 2 Timothy 4:17 Or be fulfilled
- 2 Timothy 4:18 Or save me for
- 2 Timothy 4:18 Lit Whom
2 Timothy 4
Christian Standard Bible
Fulfill Your Ministry
4 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge(A) the living and the dead,(B) and because of his appearing and his kingdom:(C) 2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine,(D) but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.(E) 5 But as for you, exercise self-control in everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist,(F) fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,(G) and the time for my departure is close. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 There is reserved for me the crown(H) of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,(I) will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.[a](J)
Final Instructions
9 Make every effort to come to me soon,(K) 10 because Demas(L) has deserted me,(M) since he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica.(N) Crescens has gone to Galatia,(O) Titus(P) to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke(Q) is with me. Bring Mark(R) with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus(S) to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak I left in Troas(T) with Carpus, as well as the scrolls, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander(U) the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. 15 Watch out(V) for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.
16 At my first defense, no one stood by me, but everyone deserted me.(W) May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that I might fully preach the word and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.(X) To him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
Benediction
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila,(Y) and the household of Onesiphorus.(Z) 20 Erastus(AA) has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus(AB) sick at Miletus.(AC) 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
Footnotes
- 4:8 Or have longed for his appearing
2 Timothy 4
New Living Translation
4 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Paul’s Final Words
9 Timothy, please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers.[a]
14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. 15 Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.
16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.[b] 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
Paul’s Final Greetings
19 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
21 Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.[c]
22 May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.
2 Timothy 4
The Message
4 1-2 I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.
3-5 You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.
6-8 You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.
* * *
9-13 Get here as fast as you can. Demas, chasing fads, went off to Thessalonica and left me here. Crescens is in Galatia province, Titus in Dalmatia. Luke is the only one here with me. Bring Mark with you; he’ll be my right-hand man since I’m sending Tychicus to Ephesus. Bring the winter coat I left in Troas with Carpus; also the books and parchment notebooks.
14-15 Watch out for Alexander the coppersmith. Fiercely opposed to our Message, he caused no end of trouble. God will give him what he’s got coming.
16-18 At my preliminary hearing no one stood by me. They all ran like scared rabbits. But it doesn’t matter—the Master stood by me and helped me spread the Message loud and clear to those who had never heard it. I was snatched from the jaws of the lion! God’s looking after me, keeping me safe in the kingdom of heaven. All praise to him, praise forever! Oh, yes!
19-20 Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila; also, the family of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed behind in Corinth. I had to leave Trophimus sick in Miletus.
21 Try hard to get here before winter.
Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all your friends here send greetings.
22 God be with you. Grace be with you.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson