in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the ages of time,

and at the appointed time has made known His word and revealed it as His message, through preaching, which was entrusted to me according to the command of God our Savior—

Older men should be sober-minded [See note at I Tim. 3:2], dignified [i.e., respectable], sensible, sound in the faith [or, "in their faith"], in their love and in their perseverance.

training us to renounce ungodliness and all the pleasures of this world, and to live sober, upright, and pious lives at the present time,

You should teach these things and exhort and rebuke people with full authority. Do not let anyone look down on you. [See note on I Tim. 4:12].

For there was a time when we also were deficient in understanding, obstinate, deluded, the slaves of various cravings and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.

After a first and second warning reject a divisive man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension—ban him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him],

When I send Artemas or [perhaps] Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.