The coming [of this lawless person] is according to the work of Satan, [and will be] attended by all kinds of powerful [i.e., miraculous] signs and false wonders,

This is why God sends them a misleading influence till they actually believe what is false,

and to this end He called you by our preaching of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

and we have this hope in the Lord, that you will still continue to observe the directions we give you.

[We did this], not because we did not have a right [to support], but so we could become an example for you to imitate.

For when I was with you, I gave you this direction, "If a person refuses to work, he must not be allowed to eat."

If anyone refuses to obey what we have said in this letter, mark that person and stop having anything to do with him, so that he will feel ashamed of it.

This greeting is in my own hand, Paul's; it is the mark in every letter of mine. This is my handwriting.

This is my handwriting. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

[This letter is from] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope [of never ending life. See Titus 3:7].

But the goal of this instruction is [to] love [God and people] from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Some individuals have wandered away from these things into empty arguments and useless discussions,

knowing this, that law is not laid down for righteous men, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the irreverent and sinful, for the impious and profane, for father killers and mother killers, for man killers,

This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has granted me [the needed] strength and made me able for this, because He considered me faithful and trustworthy, putting me into service [for this ministry],

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

But because of this I obtained mercy, so that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

This is the instruction which I entrust to you, my son Timothy, which is in accordance with the prophetic utterances formerly made about you, that you may, aided by them, continue to fight the good fight,

To do this you must hold firmly to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck in regard to the faith.

Among these people are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered over to Satan [Note: This probably refers to withdrawing fellowship from them. See I Cor. 5:1-5], so that they would learn not to speak against God [anymore].

This then I exhort thee first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings he made for all men;

This is the right thing to do and it pleases God our Saviour,

who gave himself for the redemption of all mankind: this is what was to be promulg'd in due time:

It was for this testimony that I myself was appointed a herald and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), to be a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Therefore, I want the men to pray in every place [i.e., in all worship assemblies. See verses 1-2], lifting up holy hands without being angry or argumentative. [Note: This passage stresses both the physical and spiritual aspects of prayer].

but with good deeds; for this is appropriate for women who profess to be pious.

however the women may be saved by educating their children, and persevering themselves in faith, in charity, in holiness and chastity. this may be depended upon as true.

This is a saying to be trusted: "Whoever aspires to the office of pastor desires an excellent work."

Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of [only] one wife, sober-minded [Note: When this word, used here figuratively, is used in its literal sense, it means to abstain from intoxicating drinks], sensible, respectable, hospitable, capable of teaching.

Deacons, in the same way, are to be serious in their behaviour, not false in word, not given to taking much wine or greatly desiring the wealth of this world;

Though I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you this,

But if I am long in coming, this will make clear to you what behaviour is right for men in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of what is true.

And without question the revealed secret of godly living is great. [It is this]: He [i.e., Christ, or God], who appeared in a fleshly body [was] vindicated [of false charges] by the Holy Spirit; [He was] seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world [and finally] was taken up into glory [i.e., heaven].

for in this way it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

If you point this out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, living on the principles of the faith and the excellent teaching you have had.

This is a saying to be trusted and deserves to be accepted by all.

To this end we are toiling and struggling, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers.

This is what you must urge and teach.

Hold firm to thyself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this thou will save both thyself and those who hear thee.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in the treatment of their own families, and to pay the debt they owe their parents or grandparents, for this is acceptable to God.

Give orders to this effect, so that no evil may be said of anyone.

No widow under sixty years of age should be put on this roll. A widow must have had but one husband,

Keep the young widows off this roll, for when they get to indulging their lower nature in opposition to Christ, they want to marry,

Thus, they bring the judgment [for being untrustworthy] on themselves because they have broken their previous pledge. [Note: This probably refers to younger widows who pledged themselves to fulfill some important church activity and then quit suddenly to get married. But some suggest it refers to them leaving the faith and marrying a non-Christian].

At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people's lives, saying things they should not say.

The elders who lead [the church] well should be considered deserving of double honor [Note: This probably refers to financial support in addition to the honor of the office], especially those who work hard at [preaching] the word and at teaching it.

Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect. This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited.

Those whose masters are Christian believers must not treat them with disrespect, because they are brothers; nay, rather slave for them the better because those who get the benefit of their services are believing and beloved. Continue to teach and preach this.

If any one deviate from this doctrine, not adhering to the wholesome instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true doctrine of piety,

he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in controversies and verbal disputes. This gives rise to envy, dissension, slanders, evil suspicions,

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.

But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Fight the good battle of the faith; take hold of never ending life, to which you were called [i.e., by the Gospel. See II Thess. 2:14], [when] you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. [Note: This "confession" probably refers to a person's acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord and Christ prior to his immersion. See Acts 2:36; Rom. 10:9-10].

That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

For in his own good time this will be brought about by that blessed and only potentate, King of kings and Lord of lords,

Continue charging the rich of this world to stop being haughty and not to fix their hope on a thing so uncertain as riches, but on God who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment;

in this way amassing for themselves the riches that forever endure in the life to come, so that at last they may grasp the life that is life indeed.

by making a profession of this knowledge, some have erred as it respects the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

[This letter is from] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to [the ministry of proclaiming] the promise of never ending life, which is [obtained] through [fellowship with] Christ Jesus.

Remembering how you cried [Note: This was probably when Paul and Timothy last parted], I long to see you [again], so that I can be filled with joy.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first existed in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that this faith also exists in you.

For this reason I now remind you to rekindle and keep burning the fire of the divine gift which came upon you when I laid my hands upon you.

[It is] God who saved us and called us to live holy lives [or, "to be dedicated people"], not as a result of our [good] deeds, but in harmony with His own purpose and unearned favor. [This was] given to us through [the atoning work of] Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time. [Note: Salvation through Christ was planned before time began. See Titus 1:2; Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:4].

This has now been made manifest through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who has put an end to death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Of this good news I have been appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.

This is why I am suffering so, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know whom I have trusted and I am absolutely sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

Guard this fine deposit of truth by the aid of the Holy Spirit who has His home in our hearts.

This thou know, that all those in Asia turned away from me, of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

A fighting man, when he is with the army, keeps himself free from the business of this life so that he may be pleasing to him who has taken him into his army.

Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this.

Meditate on Jesus, the Messiah, who was raised from the dead and is a descendant of David. This is the gospel I tell others.

I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound.

For this reason I am bearing anything for the sake of His chosen people, so that they too may obtain the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

This message is to be trusted: "If we indeed have died with Him, we will live with Him too.

If we prove to be unfaithful [i.e., to our commitment to Christ], He [still] remains faithful [to His word], for He cannot deny Himself. [Note: This verse refers to Christ remaining true to His promise of either accepting or rejecting us. See Matt. 10:32-33].

Remind them of these things, charging them before God not to fight about words; this is in no way profitable and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

But avoid irreverent, empty speech, for this will produce an even greater measure of godlessness.

and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group.

Nevertheless the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, Lord knows those who are his, and, Let every man who names the name of Lord keep away from unrighteousness.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.

and will keep up a make-believe of piety and yet live in defiance of its power. Turn away from people of this sort.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

All Scripture is inspired by God [Note: Literally, this word means "breathed out by God"] and is useful for teaching [truth], rebuking [wrongdoing], correcting [error] and for providing instruction [i.e., training] on how to live right,

to proclaim the message. Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. Refute, warn, and encourage with the utmost patience when you teach.

From this time onward there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who love the thought of His Appearing.

for Demas has deserted me for love of this present world, and is gone to Thessalonica; Crescens is gone to Galatia; Titus to Dalmatia.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message could be fully proclaimed and that all the Gentiles could hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. [Note: This is probably a figure of speech indicating that Paul had escaped some immediate danger. See Psa. 22:20-21].

[This letter is from] Paul, a slave of God, and an apostle for [the benefit of] the faith of God's elect [i.e., His chosen people] and [to spread] the knowledge of the truth which leads to godliness,

[and provides] hope for never ending life. God, who cannot lie, promised this [life] before the beginning of time,

I left you in Crete for this express purpose, to set in order the things that are lacking, and to appoint elders in each town, as I directed you --

For there are many rebellious men who are empty talkers [just windbags] and deceivers; especially those of the circumcision [those Jews who insist that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law in order to be saved].

Now this tendency is true. So continue correcting them severely, that they may be healthy in faith,

Everything is pure [i.e., ceremonially acceptable] to the person who is pure [i.e., who has been cleansed by the blood of Christ], but to those who are [spiritually] corrupt, and do not believe [in Christ], nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted. [Note: This statement was intended to remove the physical restrictions imposed by the law of Moses].

In this way they will train the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children,

training us to give up godless ways and worldly cravings and live serious, upright, and godly lives in this world,

You must continue teaching this, and continue exhorting and reproving people, with full authority. Let no one belittle you.

He saved us, not because of any good deeds we ourselves had done, but because of His mercy. [He saved us] through the washing of new birth [Note: This refers to our immersion in water] and the renewing [work] of the Holy Spirit,

He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,

[This was] so that, being made right with God by His unearned favor, we could have the hope of [possessing our] inheritance of never ending life [in heaven].