2 Timothy 4:1-19

Context

Charge to Timothy Repeated

4:1 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 4:2 Preach the message,¹ be ready² whether it is convenient or not,³ reprove, rebuke, exhort⁴ with complete patience and instruction. 4:3 For there will be a time when people⁵ will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires,⁶ they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things.⁷ 4:4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths.⁸ 4:5 You, however, be self-controlled⁹ in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry. 4:6 For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart¹⁰ is at hand. 4:7 I have competed well;¹¹ I have finished the race; I have kept the faith! 4:8 Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on¹² his appearing.

Travel Plans and Concluding Greetings

4:9 Make every effort to come to me soon. 4:10 For Demas deserted me, since he loved¹³ the present age, and he went to Thessalonica.¹⁴ 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 help¹⁵ to me in ministry.¹⁶ 4:12 Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.¹⁷ 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.¹⁸ The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds.¹⁹ 4:15 You be on guard against him²⁰ 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 message²¹ would be fully proclaimed²² 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 safely²³ into his heavenly kingdom. To him²⁴ be glory for ever and ever!²⁵ Amen.

4:19 Greetings to²⁶ Prisca and Aquila²⁷ and the family of Onesiphorus.

[4:2] ¹tn Or “the word.”

[4:2] ²tn Or “be persistent.”

[4:2] ³tn Grk “in season, out of season.”

[4:2] ⁴tn Or “encourage.”

[4:3] ⁵tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people in that future time) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:3] ⁶tn Grk “in accord with.”

[4:3] ⁷tn Grk “having an itching in regard to hearing,” “having itching ears.”

[4:4] ⁸sn 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.

[4:5] ⁹tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”

[4:6] ¹⁰tn Grk “of my departure.”

[4:7] ¹¹sn 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.”

[4:8] ¹²tn Grk “all who have loved.”

[4:10] ¹³tn Grk “having loved.”

[4:10] ¹⁴map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[4:11] ¹⁵tn Grk “useful.”

[4:11] ¹⁶tn Or “in serving me.”

[4:12] ¹⁷map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[4:14] ¹⁸tn Grk “showed me much evil.”

[4:14] ¹⁹sn An allusion to Ps 28:4.

[4:15] ²⁰tn 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.

[4:17] ²¹tn Or “the preaching.”

[4:17] ²²tn Grk “might be completely fulfilled.”

[4:18] ²³tn Grk “save me.”

[4:18] ²⁴tn Grk “to whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:18] ²⁵tn Grk “unto the ages of the ages,” an emphatic way of speaking about eternity in Greek.

[4:19] ²⁶tn Grk “greet.”

[4:19] ²⁷sn 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.