2 TIMOTHY 2 [†]You then,  w my child,  x be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2[†]and  y what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses  z entrust to faithful men [1]  a who will be able to teach others also. 3 b Share in suffering as  c a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4[†]No soldier  d gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 e An athlete is not  f crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6It is  g the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7[†]Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

8[†]Remember Jesus Christ,  h risen from the dead, the  i offspring of David,  j as preached in my gospel, 9 k for which I am suffering,  l bound with chains as a criminal. But  m the word of God is not bound! 10[†]Therefore  n I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain  o the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with  p eternal glory. 11[†]The saying is  q trustworthy, for:

 r If we have died with him, we will also  s live with him;

12  t if we endure, we will also reign with him;

 u if we deny him, he also will deny us;

13  v if we are faithless,  w he remains faithful—

for  x he cannot deny himself.

14[†]Remind them of these things, and  y charge them before God [2]  z not to quarrel about words,  a which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15[†]Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, [3] a worker  b who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16But  c avoid  d irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17[†]and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are  e Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18[†]who have swerved from the truth,  f saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19[†]But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal:  g “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone  h who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

20[†]Now in  i a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay,  j some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore,  k if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, [4] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house,  l ready for every good work.

22[†]So  m flee  n youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with  o those who call on the Lord  p from a pure heart. 23[†]Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant  q controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24[†]And  r the Lord’s servant [5] must not be quarrelsome but  s kind to everyone,  t able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25[†]correcting his opponents  u with gentleness. God  v may perhaps grant them repentance  w leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26[†]and they may come to their senses and escape from  x the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.