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.

Think what I mean! The Lord will help you to understand perfectly.

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;

they may come to their senses again and escape the snare of the devil, as they are brought back to life by God to do his will.

For men will be selfish, fond of money, boastful, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreverent,

callous, relentless, scurrilous, dissolute, and savage; they will hate goodness,

they will be treacherous, reckless and conceited, preferring pleasure to God ??5 for though they keep up a form of religion, they will have nothing to do with it as a force. Avoid all such.

However, they will get no further, for their aberration will be detected by everyone, as was the case with these magicians.

Yes, and all who want to live the religious life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Bad characters and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and deceived themselves;

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead, in the light of his appearance and his reign,

for the time will come when people will decline to be taught sound doctrine and will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies;

they will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths.

Now the crown of a good life awaits me, with which the Lord, that just Judge, will reward me on the great Day ??and not only me but all who have loved and longed for his appearance.

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

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.