Chapter 1

¹Paul, by God’s will an apostle of Christ Jesus in fulfilment of the promise of that life which is found in union with Christ Jesus, ²to my dear child Timothy; God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord bless you and be merciful to you and give you peace.

³I thank God, whom I, like my forefathers, worship with a clear conscience, when I remember you, as I constantly do, in my prayers. ⁴When I remember the tears you shed I long night and day to see you again, and have the perfect happiness ⁵of being reminded of your genuine faith, a faith that was seen first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice; I am sure it is in you also. ⁶For this reason I would remind you to rekindle the divine gift that you received when I laid my hands upon you. ⁷For the Spirit God has given us is a spirit not of timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline. ⁸So you must not be ashamed to testify to our Lord, nor be ashamed of me who am in prison for his sake, but join with me in suffering for the good news, through the power of God. ⁹He saved us and called us to a consecrated life, not for anything we had done, but of his own accord and out of the mercy which he bestowed upon us ages ago through Christ Jesus, ¹⁰which has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus. He has taken away the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the good news, ¹¹of which I have been appointed a herald, apostle and teacher. ¹²This is why I am suffering as I am, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have trusted and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have intrusted to him for that Day. ¹³As your example in wholesome instruction, keep before you what you learned from me, in the faith and love that come through union with Christ Jesus. ¹⁴Guard that splendid trust through the holy Spirit that lives in our hearts.

¹⁵You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often cheered me and was not ashamed of my being in prison. ¹⁷Why, when he arrived in Rome, he took pains to inquire for me and found me. ¹⁸The Lord grant that he may be shown mercy by the Lord on that Day! And you know well enough how he helped me at Ephesus.