1 From: Sha’ul, an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua by God’s will, which holds forth a promise of life through being united with Messiah Yeshua

² To: Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and shalom from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.

³ I give thanks to God, whom, like my forbears, I worship with a clean conscience, as I regularly remember you in my prayers night and day. ⁴ I am reminded of your tears, and I long to see you, so that I might be filled with joy. ⁵ I recall your sincere trust, the same trust that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice had first; and I am convinced that you too now have this trust.

⁶ For this reason, I am reminding you to fan the flame of God’s gift, which you received through s’mikhah from me. ⁷ For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So don’t be ashamed of bearing testimony to our Lord or to me, his prisoner. On the contrary, accept your share in suffering disgrace for the sake of the Good News. God will give you the strength for it, ⁹ since he delivered us and called us to a life of holiness as his people. It was not because of our deeds, but because of his own purpose and the grace which he gave to us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He did this before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but made it public only now through the appearing of our Deliverer, the Messiah Yeshua, who abolished death and, through the Good News, revealed life and immortality.

¹¹ It was for this Good News that I was appointed a proclaimer, emissary and teacher of the Goyim; ¹² and this is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know him in whom I have put my trust, and I am persuaded that he can keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me. ¹³ Follow the pattern of the sound teachings you have heard from me, with trust and the love which is yours in the Messiah Yeshua. ¹⁴ Keep safe the great treasure that has been entrusted to you, with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, who lives in us.

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia turned away from me, including Phygelus and Ermogenes. ¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he was often a comfort to me and was not ashamed of my being in prison. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he came to Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant it to him to find mercy from Adonai on that Day. And you know very well how much he helped me in Ephesus.

2 So then, you, my son, be empowered by the grace that comes from the Messiah Yeshua. ² And the things you heard from me, which were supported by many witnesses, these things commit to faithful people, such as will be competent to teach others also. ³ Accept your share in suffering disgrace as a good soldier of the Messiah Yeshua. ⁴ No soldier on duty gets involved with civilian affairs, since he has to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Also an athlete can’t win a contest unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The farmer who has done the hard work should be the first to receive a share of the harvest. ⁷ Think about what I am saying, for the Lord will enable you to understand everything.

⁸ Remember Yeshua the Messiah, who was raised from the dead, who was a descendant of David. This is the Good News I proclaim, ⁹ and for which I am suffering to the point of being bound in chains — but the Word of God is not bound in chains! ¹⁰ Why do I persevere through it all? For the sake of those who have been chosen, so that they too may obtain the deliverance that comes through the Messiah Yeshua, with eternal glory. ¹¹ Here is a statement you can trust:

¹⁴ Keep reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before the Lord not to engage in word-battles. They accomplish nothing useful and are a catastrophe for the hearers! ¹⁵ Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth. ¹⁶ But keep away from godless babbling, for those who engage in it will only become more ungodly, ¹⁷ and their teaching will eat away at people like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among these; ¹⁸ they have missed the mark, as far as the truth is concerned, by saying that our resurrection has already taken place; and they are overturning some people’s faith. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, stamped with these words:

and,

²⁰ In a large house there are dishes and pots not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. That is, some are meant for honorable use and some for dishonorable. ²¹ If a person keeps himself free of defilement by the latter, he will be a vessel set aside for honorable use by the master of the house and ready for every kind of good work. ²² So, flee the passions of youth; and, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love and peace. ²³ But stay away from stupid and ignorant controversies — you know that they lead to fights, ²⁴ and a slave of the Lord shouldn’t fight. On the contrary, he should be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and not resentful when mistreated. ²⁵ Also he should be gentle as he corrects his opponents. For God may perhaps grant them the opportunity to turn from their sins, acquire full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will.