2 Timothy 2 NLT

Outline

• Introduction (1:1-4)
• Paul's Concern for Timothy (1:5-14)
• Paul's Situation (1:15-18)
• Special Instructions to Timothy (ch. 2)
  • Call for Endurance (2:1-13)
  • Warning about Foolish Controversies (2:14-26)
• Warning about the Last Days (ch. 3)
  • Terrible Times (3:1-9)
  • Means of Combating Them (3:10-17)
• Paul's Departing Remarks (4:1-8)
  • Charge to Preach the Word (4:1-5)
  • Paul's Victorious Prospect (4:6-8)
• Final Requests, Greetings and Benediction (4:9-22)

2 Timothy 2 NLT

1 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 

2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 

3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 

4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 

5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 

6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 

7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things. 

8 Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. 

9 And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. 

10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. 

11 This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. 

12 If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. 

13 If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

14 Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 

15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 

16 Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. 

17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. 

18 They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith. 

19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.” 

20 In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. 

21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 

22 Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 

23 Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 

24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 

25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. 

26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

Proverbs 6 NLT

1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger— 

2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said— 

3 follow my advice and save yourself, for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. 

4 Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do. 

5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. 

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! 

7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, 

8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 

9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? 

10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 

11then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. 

12 What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, 

13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. 

14 Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble. 

15 But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing. 

16 There are six things the LORD hates— no, seven things he detests: 

17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, 

18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, 

19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. 

20 My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. 

21 Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. 

22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. 

23 For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life. 

24 It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. 

25 Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you. 

26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. 

27Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? 

28 Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet? 

29 So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife. He who embraces her will not go unpunished. 

30Excuses might be found for a thief who steals because he is starving. 

31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole, even if he has to sell everything in his house.

32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys himself. 

33 He will be wounded and disgraced. His shame will never be erased. 

34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge. 

35 He will accept no compensation, nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

2 Timothy 1 NLT

Outline

• Introduction (1:1-4)
• Paul's Concern for Timothy (1:5-14)
• Paul's Situation (1:15-18)
• Special Instructions to Timothy (ch. 2)
  • Call for Endurance (2:1-13)
  • Warning about Foolish Controversies (2:14-26)
• Warning about the Last Days (ch. 3)
  • Terrible Times (3:1-9)
  • Means of Combating Them (3:10-17)
• Paul's Departing Remarks (4:1-8)
  • Charge to Preach the Word (4:1-5)
  • Paul's Victorious Prospect (4:6-8)
• Final Requests, Greetings and Benediction (4:9-22)

2 Timothy 1 NLT

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I have been sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 I am writing to Timothy, my dear son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 

4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. 

5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 

6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 

8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. 

9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 

10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. 

11 And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. 

12 That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

13 Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 

14 Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. 

15 As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me—even Phygelus and Hermogenes. 

16 May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. 

17 When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. 

18 May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.

Proverbs 5 NLT

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; listen carefully to my wise counsel. 

2 Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. 

3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 

4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword. 

5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. 

6 For she cares nothing about the path to life. She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it. 

7 So now, my sons, listen to me. Never stray from what I am about to say: 

8 Stay away from her! Don’t go near the door of her house! 

9 If you do, you will lose your honor and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved. 

10Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor. 

11 In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body. 

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline! If only I had not ignored all the warnings! 

13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors? 

14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” 

15Drink water from your own well— share your love only with your wife. 

16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? 

17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. 

18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. 

20Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? 

21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. 

22An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. 

23 He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

Summary of the Book of 2 Timothy

Summary of the Book of 2 Timothy

This summary of the book of 2 Timothy provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of 2 Timothy.

Author, Date and Setting

See essay, p. 2481. After Paul's release from prison in Rome in a.d. 62 (Ac 28) and after his fourth missionary journey (see map, pp. 2486-2487), during which he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul was again imprisoned under Emperor Nero c. 66-67. It was during this time that he wrote 2 Timothy. In contrast to his first imprisonment, when he lived in a "rented house" (Ac 28:30; see note there), he now languished in a cold dungeon (see 4:13 and note), chained like a common criminal (1:16; 2:9). His friends even had a hard time finding out where he was being kept (1:17). Paul knew that his work was done and that his life was nearly at an end (4:6-8).

Reasons for Writing

Paul had three reasons for writing to Timothy at this time:

1. Paul was lonely. Phygelus and Hermogenes, "everyone in the province of Asia" (1:15), and Demas (4:10) had deserted him. Crescens, Titus and Tychicus were away (4:10-12), and only Luke was with him (4:11). Paul wanted very much for Timothy to join him also. Timothy was his "fellow worker" (Ro 16:21), who "as a son with his father" (Php 2:22 ; see note there) had served closely with Paul (see 1Co 4:17). Of him Paul could say, "I have no one else like him" (Php 2:20). Paul longed for Timothy (1:4) and twice asked him to come soon (4:9,21). For more information on Timothy see Introduction to 1 Timothy: Recipient.
2. Paul was concerned about the welfare of the churches during this time of persecution under Nero, and he admonishes Timothy to guard the gospel (1:14), to persevere in it (3:14), to keep on preaching it (4:2) and, if necessary, to suffer for it (1:8; 2:3).
3. Paul wanted to write to the Ephesian church through his letter to Timothy (see note on 4:22).

Outline

• Introduction (1:1-4)
• Paul's Concern for Timothy (1:5-14)
• Paul's Situation (1:15-18)
• Special Instructions to Timothy (ch. 2)
  • Call for Endurance (2:1-13)
  • Warning about Foolish Controversies (2:14-26)
• Warning about the Last Days (ch. 3)
  • Terrible Times (3:1-9)
  • Means of Combating Them (3:10-17)
• Paul's Departing Remarks (4:1-8)
  • Charge to Preach the Word (4:1-5)
  • Paul's Victorious Prospect (4:6-8)
• Final Requests, Greetings and Benediction (4:9-22)