2 Timothy 4:1-7

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 ready ²  whether it is convenient or not, ³  reprove, rebuke, exhort ⁴  with complete patience and instruction. 4:3 For there will be a time when people ⁵  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-controlled ⁹  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 depart ¹⁰  is at hand. 4:7 I have competed well; ¹¹  I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!

[4:2]  ¹ tn Or “the word.”

[4:2]  ² tn Or “be persistent.”

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

[4:2]  ⁴ tn Or “encourage.”

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

[4:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “in accord with.”

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

[4:4]  ⁸ 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.

[4:5]  ⁹ tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”

[4:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “of my departure.”

[4:7]  ¹¹ 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.”