2 Timothy 1

₁Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

₂To Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

₃I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ₄Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ₅I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

₆For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ₇For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ₈So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ₉He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ₁₀but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ₁₁And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ₁₂That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

₁₃What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. ₁₄Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

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, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. ₁₇On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ₁₈May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.