4:9 Make every effort to come to me soon. 4:10 For Demas deserted me, since he loved 9 the present age, and he went to Thessalonica. 10 Crescens went to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia. 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is a great help 11 to me in ministry. 12 4:12 Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 4:13 When you come, bring with you the cloak I left in Troas with Carpas and the scrolls, especially the parchments. 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. 14 The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds. 15 4:15 You be on guard against him 16 too, because he vehemently opposed our words. 4:16 At my first defense no one appeared in my support; instead they all deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. 4:17 But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message 17 would be fully proclaimed 18 for all the Gentiles to hear. And so I was delivered from the lion’s mouth! 4:18 The Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely 19 into his heavenly kingdom. To him 20 be glory for ever and ever! 21 Amen.
4:19 Greetings to 22 Prisca and Aquila 23 and the family of Onesiphorus. 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. 24 Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 4:21 Make every effort to come before winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. 25 4:22 The Lord 26 be with your spirit. Grace be with you. 27
1 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people in that future time) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Grk “in accord with.”
3 tn Grk “having an itching in regard to hearing,” “having itching ears.”
4 sn These myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and Titus 1:14.
5 tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”
6 tn Grk “of my departure.”
7 sn The expression I have competed well (Grk “I have competed the good competition”) uses words that may refer to a race or to a boxing or wrestling match: “run the good race” or “fight the good fight.” The similar phrase in 1 Tim 1:18 uses a military picture and is more literally “war the good warfare.”
8 tn Grk “all who have loved.”
9 tn Grk “having loved.”
10 map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.
11 tn Grk “useful.”
12 tn Or “in serving me.”
13 map For location see JP1-D2; JP2-D2; JP3-D2; JP4-D2.
14 tn Grk “showed me much evil.”
15 sn An allusion to Ps 28:4.
16 tn Grk “against whom,” as a continuation of the previous clause. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
17 tn Or “the preaching.”
18 tn Grk “might be completely fulfilled.”
19 tn Grk “save me.”
20 tn Grk “to whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
21 tn Grk “unto the ages of the ages,” an emphatic way of speaking about eternity in Greek.
22 tn Grk “greet.”
23 sn On Prisca and Aquila see also Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. The author of Acts uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.
24 map For location see JP1-C2; JP2-C2; JP3-C2; JP4-C2.
25 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
26 tc The reading ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”) is well supported by א* F G 33 1739 1881 sa, but predictable expansions on the text have occurred at this point: A 104 614 pc read ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo kurio" Ihsou", “the Lord Jesus”), while א2 C D Ψ Ï sy bo have ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός (Jo kurio" Ihsou" Cristo", “the Lord Jesus Christ”). As B. M. Metzger notes, although in a late book such as 2 Timothy, one might expect the fuller title for the Lord, accidental omission of nomina sacra is rare (TCGNT 582). The shorter reading is thus preferred on both external and internal grounds.
27 tc Most witnesses (א2 D Ψ Ï lat sy) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, there are several excellent witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texts (א* A C F G 6 33 81 1739* 1881 sa) that lack the particle, rendering the omission the preferred reading.