2 Timothy 4:5-22

4:5 You, however, be self-controlled ¹  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 ²  is at hand. 4:7 I have competed well; ³  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 on ⁴  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 loved ⁵  the present age, and he went to Thessalonica. ⁶  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 ⁷  to me in ministry. ⁸  4:12 Now I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ⁹  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. ¹⁰  The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds. ¹¹  4:15 You be on guard against him ¹²  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 ¹³  would be fully proclaimed ¹⁴  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 ¹⁵  into his heavenly kingdom. To him ¹⁶  be glory for ever and ever! ¹⁷  Amen.

4:19 Greetings to ¹⁸  Prisca and Aquila ¹⁹  and the family of Onesiphorus. 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth. ²⁰  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. ²¹  4:22 The Lord ²²  be with your spirit. Grace be with you. ²³ 

[4:5]  ¹ tn Or “sober,” “temperate.”

[4:6]  ² tn Grk “of my departure.”

[4:7]  ³ 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.”

[4:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “all who have loved.”

[4:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “having loved.”

[4:10]  ⁶ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[4:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “useful.”

[4:11]  ⁸ tn Or “in serving me.”

[4:12]  ⁹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[4:14]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “showed me much evil.”

[4:14]  ¹¹ sn An allusion to Ps 28:4.

[4:15]  ¹² 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.

[4:17]  ¹³ tn Or “the preaching.”

[4:17]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “might be completely fulfilled.”

[4:18]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “save me.”

[4:18]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “to whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:18]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “unto the ages of the ages,” an emphatic way of speaking about eternity in Greek.

[4:19]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “greet.”

[4:19]  ¹⁹ 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.

[4:20]  ²⁰ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[4:21]  ²¹ 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).

[4:22]  ²² 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.

[4:22]  ²³ 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.