2 Timothy 1:1-12
Context1:1 From Paul, 1 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to further the promise 2 of life in Christ Jesus, 1:2 to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!
1:3 I am thankful to God, whom I have served with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, 3 when I remember you in my prayers as I do constantly night and day. 4 1:4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, 5 so that I may be filled with joy. 1:5 I recall 6 your sincere faith 7 that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure 8 is in you.
1:6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess 9 through the laying on of my hands. 1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit 10 of fear but of power and love and self-control. 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord 11 or of me, a prisoner for his sake, but by 12 God’s power accept your share of suffering 13 for the gospel. 1:9 He is the one who saved us 14 and called us with a holy calling, not based on 15 our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 16 1:10 but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He 17 has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel! 1:11 For this gospel 18 I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher. 19 1:12 Because of this, in fact, I suffer as I do. 20 But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom my faith is set 21 and I am convinced that he is able to protect what has been entrusted to me 22 until that day. 23
[1:1] 1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:1] 2 tn Grk “for the promise…” or possibly “in accordance with the promise…”
[1:3] 3 tn Grk “from my ancestors.”
[1:3] 4 tn Or “as I do constantly. By night and day I long to see you…”
[1:4] 5 tn Grk “longing to see you, remembering your tears” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:5] 6 tn Grk “recalling” (as a continuation of the preceding clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:5] 7 tn Grk “the sincere faith in you.”
[1:6] 9 tn Grk “that is in you.”
[1:7] 10 tn Or “a spirit,” denoting the human personality under the Spirit’s influence as in 1 Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1; 1 Pet 3:4. But the reference to the Holy Spirit at the end of this section (1:14) makes it likely that it begins this way also, so that the Holy Spirit is the referent.
[1:8] 11 tn Grk “the testimony of our Lord.”
[1:8] 12 tn Or “according to.”
[1:8] 13 tn Grk “suffer hardship together,” implying “join with me in suffering.”
[1:9] 14 tn More literally, “who saved us,” as a description of God in v. 8. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:9] 15 tn Or “according to,” or “by.”
[1:9] 16 tn Grk “before eternal times.”
[1:10] 17 tn Grk “having broken…and having brought…” (describing Christ). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here (and at the beginning of v. 11) in the translation.
[1:11] 19 tc Most
[1:12] 20 tn Grk “suffer these things.”
[1:12] 21 tn Or “in whom I have believed.”
[1:12] 22 sn What has been entrusted to me (Grk “my entrustment,” meaning either (1) “what I have entrusted to him” [his life, destiny, etc.] or (2) “what he has entrusted to me” [the truth of the gospel]). The parallel with v. 14 and use of similar words in the pastorals (1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 2:2) argue for the latter sense.
[1:12] 23 sn That day is a reference to the day when Paul would stand before Christ to give account for his service (cf. 2 Tim 1:18; 1 Cor 3:13; 2 Cor 5:9-10).