Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God in the service of the Life he has promised in Christ Jesus ??2 to his beloved son Timotheus: grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

who has saved us and called us to a life of consecration ??not for anything we have done but because he chose to do it himself, by the grace which he gave us ages ago in Christ Jesus

and this is why I am suffering. Still, I am not ashamed of it; I know whom I have trusted and I am certain he is able to keep what I have put into his hands till the great Day.

May the Lord show favour to the household of Onesiphorus, for many a time he braced me up; he was not ashamed of my imprisonment ??17 no, he made eager search for me when he reached Rome, and he found me

(may he find favour with the Lord on the great Day! The Lord grant it!). And you know very well what a help he was to me in Ephesus.

Again, a competitor in the games is not crowned unless he observes the rules.

if we endure, then we shall reign with him, if we disown him, then he shall disown us,

if we are faithless, he remains faithful" ??for he cannot be untrue to himself.

If one will only keep clear of the latter, he will be put to noble use, he will be consecrated and useful to the Owner of the House, he will be set apart for good work of all kinds.

And the Lord's servant must not be a man of strife; he must be kind to everybody, a skilled teacher, a man who will not resent injuries;

he must be gentle in his admonitions to the opposition ??God may perhaps let them change their mind and admit the Truth;

Luke is the only one who is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him along with you, for he is of great use in helping me.

Alexander the blacksmith has done me a lot of harm: the Lord will pay him back for what he has done (beware of him),

for he has been bitterly hostile to anything I have said.

The Lord will rescue me from every assault of evil, he will bring me safe to his own realm in heaven. To him be glory for ever and ever! Amen.