** The Second Letter to Timothy **
[2 Timothy 1] {1:1} Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, in accord with the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, {1:2} to Timothy, most beloved son. Grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and from Christ Jesus our Lord. {1:3} I give thanks to God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a pure conscience. For without ceasing I hold the remembrance of you in my prayers, night and day, {1:4} desiring to see you, recalling your tears so as to be filled with joy, {1:5} calling to mind the same faith, which is in you unfeigned, which also first dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and in your mother, Eunice, and also, I am certain, in you.
{1:6} Because of this, I admonish you to revive the grace of God, which is in you by the imposition of my hands.
{1:7} For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of virtue, and of love, and of self-restraint. {1:8} And so, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. Instead, collaborate with the Gospel in accord with the virtue of God, {1:9} who has freed us and has called us to his holy vocation, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus, before the ages of time.
{1:10} And this has now been made manifest by the illumination of our Savior Jesus Christ, who certainly has destroyed death, and who has also illuminated life and incorruption through the Gospel. {1:11} Of this Gospel, I have been appointed a preacher, and an Apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. {1:12} For this reason, I also suffer these things. But I am not confounded. For I know in whom I have believed, and I am certain that he has the power to preserve what was entrusted to me, unto that day.
{1:13} Hold to the kind of sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
{1:14} Guard the good entrusted to you through the Holy Spirit, who lives within us. {1:15} Know this: that all those who are in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phigellus and Hermogenes. {1:16} May the Lord have mercy on the house of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me, and he has not been ashamed of my chains.
{1:17} Instead, when he had arrived in Rome, he anxiously sought me and found me. {1:18} May the Lord grant to him to obtain mercy from the Lord in that day. And you know well in how many ways he has ministered to me at Ephesus.
[2 Timothy 2] {2:1} And as for you, my son, be strengthened by the grace which is in Christ Jesus,
{2:2} and by the things which you have heard from me through many witnesses. These things encourage faithful men, who shall then be suitable to teach others also.
{2:3} Labor like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. {2:4} No man, acting as a soldier for God, entangles himself in worldly matters, so that he may be pleasing to him for whom he has proven himself. {2:5} Then, too, whoever strives in a competition is not crowned, unless he has competed lawfully. {2:6} The farmer who labors ought to be the first to share in the produce. {2:7} Understand what I am saying. For the Lord will give you understanding in all things. {2:8} Be mindful that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the offspring of David, has risen again from the dead, according to my Gospel. {2:9} I labor in this Gospel, even while chained like an evildoer. But the Word of God is not bound. {2:10} I endure all things for this reason: for the sake of the elect, so that they, too, may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with heavenly glory. {2:11} It is a faithful saying: that if we have died with him, we will also live with him. {2:12} If we suffer, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. {2:13} If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful: he is not able to deny himself. {2:14} Insist on these things, testifying before the Lord. Do not be contentious about words, for this is useful for nothing but the subversion of listeners. {2:15} Be solicitous in the task of presenting yourself before God as a proven and unashamed worker who has handled the Word of Truth correctly. {2:16} But avoid profane or empty talk. For these things advance one greatly in impiety.
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