Bible in 90 Days

The Gospel comes to Thessalonica

1 Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the assembly of Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Grace to you and peace.

² We always give thanks to God for all of you, as we make mention of you in our prayers. ³ We constantly remember the accomplishment of your faith, the hard work of your love, and the patience of your hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah, in the presence of God our father.

⁴ Dear family, beloved by God, we know that God has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel didn’t come to you in word only, but in power, and in the holy spirit, and in great assurance. You know what sort of people we became for your sake, when we were among you.

The Thessalonians’ faith

⁶ And you learned how to copy us—and the Lord! When you received the word, you had a lot to suffer, but you also had the holy spirit’s joy. ⁷ As a result, you became a model for all the believers in both Macedonia and Achaea. ⁸ For the word of the Lord has resonated out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaea; your faith in God has gone out to people everywhere. This means that we haven’t had to say anything. ⁹ They themselves tell the story of the kind of welcome we had from you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivers us from the coming fury.

Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica

2 For you yourselves know, my dear family, that our visit to you didn’t turn out to be empty. ² On the contrary. We had already undergone awful things and been shamefully treated in Philippi, as you know; but we were open and exuberant in our God in declaring to you the gospel of God, despite a good deal of opposition.

³ When we make our appeal, you see, we are not deceiving people. We don’t have any impure motives; we aren’t playing some kind of trick. ⁴ Rather, we speak as people whom God has validated to be entrusted with the gospel; not with a view to pleasing people, but in order to please God, who validates our hearts.

⁵ For we never used flattering words, as you know. Nor were we saying things insincerely, as a cover-up for greed, as God is our witness. ⁶ We weren’t looking for recognition from anybody, either you or anyone else— ⁷ though we could have imposed on you, as the Messiah’s emissaries. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her own children. ⁸ We were so devoted to you that we gladly intended to share with you not only the gospel of God but our own lives, because you became so dear to us.

Paul’s fatherly concern

⁹ My dear family, you will recall our hard toil, our labor. We worked night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you while we announced to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, of our holy, upright and blameless behavior towards you believers. ¹¹ You know how, like a father to his own children, ¹² we encouraged each of you, and strengthened you, and made it clear to you that you should behave in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

The persecuted church

¹³ So, therefore, we thank God constantly that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of a mere human being but—as it really is!—the word of God which is at work in you believers. ¹⁴ For, my dear family, you came to copy God’s assemblies in Judaea in the Messiah, Jesus. You suffered the same things from your own people as they did from those of the Judaeans ¹⁵ who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and who expelled us. They displease God; they oppose all people; ¹⁶ they forbid us to speak to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. This has had the effect, all along, of completing the full total of their sins. But the fury has come upon them for good.

Paul’s joy and crown

¹⁷ As for us, my dear family, we were snatched away from you for a short time, in person though not in heart. We longed eagerly, with a great desire, to see you face to face. ¹⁸ That’s why we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but the satan got in our way.

¹⁹ Don’t you see? When our Lord Jesus is present once more, what is our hope, our joy, the crown of our boasting before him? It’s you! ²⁰ Yes: you are our glory and our joy.

The sending of Timothy

3 So, when it got to the point that we couldn’t bear it any longer, Silvanus and I decided to remain in Athens by ourselves, ² and we sent Timothy—our brother, and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of the Messiah—so that he could strengthen you and bring comfort to your faith, ³ so that you wouldn’t be pulled off course by these sufferings. You yourselves know, don’t you, that this is what we are bound to face. ⁴ For when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we would undergo suffering; that’s how it has turned out, and you know about it. ⁵ That’s why, when I too couldn’t bear it any longer, I sent Timothy, so that I could find out about your faithfulness, in case somehow the tempter had put you to the test and our work would be in ruins.

Timothy’s report

⁶ But now Timothy has returned to us from you. He has brought us the good news of your faith—and your love; he has told us that you always have good memories of us, and that you are longing to see us, just as we are to see you. ⁷ So, my dear family, we are comforted about you, in all our difficulties and troubles, because of your faithfulness. ⁸ Now, you see, we are really alive, if you are standing firm in the Lord. ⁹ For what thanks can we give back to God about you, for all the joy which we celebrate because of you in the presence of our God, ¹⁰ praying with more fervor than you can imagine, night and day, that we may see you face to face and may put into proper order anything that is lacking in your faith?

Paul’s words of blessing

¹¹ Now may God himself, our father, and our Lord Jesus, steer us on our way to you. ¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another, and for everybody, abound and overflow, just as ours does for you. ¹³ That way, your hearts will be strengthened and kept blameless in holiness before God our father when our Lord Jesus is present again with all his holy ones. Amen.

Instructions on holy living

4 What remains, my dear family, is for us to ask you, and indeed to urge you in the Lord Jesus, that you should continue more and more to behave in the manner that you received from us as the appropriate way of behaving and of pleasing God. ² You know, of course, what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³ This is God’s will, you see: he wants you to be holy, to keep well away from fornication. ⁴ Each of you should know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, ⁵ not in the madness of lust like Gentiles who don’t know God. ⁶ Nobody should break this rule, or cheat a fellow Christian in this area; the Lord is the avenger in all such matters, just as we told you before and testified most solemnly. ⁷ For God did not call us to a dirty life, but in holiness. ⁸ Anyone who rejects this, then, is not rejecting a human command, but the God who gives his holy spirit to you.

A life of love

⁹ Now, about charitable concern for the whole family: I don’t really need to write to you, because you yourselves have been taught by God to show loving care for one another. ¹⁰ Indeed, you are doing this for all the Christian family in the whole of Macedonia. But we urge you, my dear family, to make this an even more prominent part of your lives. ¹¹ You should make it your ambition to live peacefully, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, just as we commanded you, ¹² so that you may behave in a way which outsiders will respect, and so that none of you may be in financial difficulties.

The Lord’s coming

¹³ Now concerning those who have fallen asleep: we don’t want you to remain in ignorance about them, my dear family. We don’t want you to have the kind of grief that other people do, people who don’t have any hope. ¹⁴ For, you see, if we believe that Jesus died and rose, that’s the way God will also, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

¹⁵ Let me explain (this is the word of the Lord I’m speaking to you!). We who are alive, who remain until the Lord is present, will not find ourselves ahead of those who fell asleep. ¹⁶ The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shouted order, with the voice of an archangel and the sound of God’s trumpet. The Messiah’s dead will rise first; ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be snatched up with them among the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And in this way we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ So comfort each other with these words.

Children of light

5 Now when it comes to specific times and dates, my dear family, you don’t need to have anyone write to you. ² You yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a midnight robber. ³ When people say, “Peace and security!” then swift ruin will arrive at their doorstep, like the pains that come over a woman in labor, and they won’t have a chance to escape.

⁴ But as for you, my dear family—you are not in darkness. That day won’t surprise you like a robber. ⁵ You are all children of light, children of the day! We don’t belong to the night, or to darkness. ⁶ So, then, let’s not go to sleep, like the others, but let’s keep awake and stay sober.

⁷ People who sleep, you see, sleep at night. People who get drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But we daytime people should be self-controlled, clothing ourselves with the breastplate of faith and love, and with the helmet of the hope of salvation; ⁹ because the road on which God has placed us leads, not to fury, but to gaining salvation, through our Lord Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁰ He died for us, so that whether we stay awake or go to sleep we should live together with him. ¹¹ So strengthen one another, and build each other up, just as you are doing.

Final exhortations

¹² This, my dear family, is the request we make of you. Take note of those who work among you and exercise leadership over you in the Lord, those who give you instruction. ¹³ Give them the highest possible rank of love because of their work. Live at peace among yourselves.

¹⁴ And we beg you, my dear family: warn those who step out of line; console the downcast; help the weak; be warm-hearted and patient towards everybody. ¹⁵ Make sure nobody pays anyone back evil for evil. Instead, always find the way to do good to one another, and to everybody.

Final blessings and charge

²³ Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy. May your complete spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful; he will do it.

²⁵ My dear family, pray for us.

²⁶ Greet the whole family with a holy kiss. ²⁷ I charge you by the Lord to have this letter read to the whole family.

²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you.

Greetings and thanksgiving

1 Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the assembly of Thessalonians in God our father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah: ² grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

³ We owe God a constant debt of gratitude concerning you, my dear family. It is only right and proper. Your faith is growing marvelously, and the love which every single one of you has for each other is multiplying. ⁴ As a result, we ourselves can tell all the churches of God how proud we are of you—of your patience and loyalty in all your troubles, and in all the sufferings you are going through.

⁵ All this is a clear sign of the just judgment of God, to make you thoroughly worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering— ⁶ since it is just, on God’s part, to pay back with suffering those who inflict suffering on you, ⁷ and to give you, with us, respite from your sufferings.

The coming of Jesus

This will come about when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels, ⁸ in a flaming fire, meting out punishment to those who don’t know God and those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his power, ¹⁰ when he comes to be glorified in all his holy ones, and to be marveled at by all who believe in him, because our testimony to you was met with faith, on that day.

¹¹ To that end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may complete every plan he has to do you good, and every work of faith in power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

The lawless one

2 Now concerning the royal presence of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and our gathering together around him, this is our request, my dear family. ² Please don’t be suddenly blown off course in your thinking, or be unsettled, either through spiritual influence, or through a word, or through a letter supposedly from us, telling you that the day of the Lord has already arrived. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. You see, it can’t happen unless the rebellion takes place first, and the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, is revealed. ⁴ He is the one who sets himself against every so-called god or cult object, and usurps their role, so that he installs himself in God’s temple, and makes himself out to be a god.

⁵ Don’t you remember that I told you this while I was with you? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining him so that he will be revealed at his proper time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the restrainer is in place—until he is taken away; ⁸ and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth, and will wipe him out by unveiling his presence.

⁹ The presence of the lawless one will be accompanied by satanic activity, with full power, with signs, and spurious wonders, ¹⁰ with every kind of wicked deceit over those on the way to ruin, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. ¹¹ For that reason God sends upon them a strong delusion, leading them to believe the lie, ¹² so that judgment may come upon all who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.

Exhortation to steadfastness

¹³ But we always owe God a debt of gratitude for you, my family beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits of his work of salvation, through sanctification by the spirit and belief of the truth. ¹⁴ To this he called you through our gospel, so that you might obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

¹⁵ So then, my dear family, stand firm, and hold on tight to the traditions which you were taught, whether through what we said or through our letter. ¹⁶ And may our Lord Jesus the Messiah himself, and God our father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.

Requests for prayer

3 Finally, my dear family, pray for us, that the word of the Lord will go forward quickly and be glorified, as it has among you; ² and that we may be rescued from evil and wicked people. Not all, you see, have faith! ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

⁴ We are confident in the Lord about you, that you are doing, and will continue to do, what we instructed you. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts towards the love of God and the patience of the Messiah.

The dangers of idleness

⁶ Here is a command we have for you, my dear family, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Keep away from any member of the family who is stepping out of line, and not behaving according to the tradition that you received from us.

⁷ You yourselves know, after all, how you should copy us. We didn’t step out of line, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. We worked night and day, with labor and struggle, so as not to place a burden on any of you. ⁹ It wasn’t that we don’t have the right; it was so that we could give you an example, for you to copy us. ¹⁰ And, indeed, when we were with you, we gave you this command: those who won’t work shouldn’t eat!

¹¹ You see, we hear that there are some among you who are stepping out of line, behaving in an unruly fashion, not being busy with real work, but just busybodies. ¹² To people like that we give this commandment and exhortation in the Lord Jesus the Messiah: do your own work in peace, and eat your own bread. ¹³ As for you, my dear family, don’t get tired of doing what is right!

Final remarks

¹⁴ If anyone doesn’t obey our word in this letter, take note of them. Don’t have any dealings with such a person, so that they may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Don’t consider a person like this an enemy: rebuke them as a member of the family. ¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

¹⁷ I, Paul, am sending you this greeting in my own hand. This is the sign in each letter of mine; this is how I write. ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah be with you all.

True teaching about the truth

1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus according to the command of God our savior and Messiah Jesus our hope, ² to Timothy, my true child in faith: grace, mercy and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our Lord.

³ This is my charge to you, just as it was when I went to Macedonia: stay in Ephesus, so that you can tell the relevant people not to teach anything different, ⁴ or to cling on to myths and endless genealogies. That sort of thing breeds disputes rather than the instruction in faith that comes from God. ⁵ The goal of such instruction is love—the love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith. ⁶ Some people have wandered off from these things and turned aside to foolish talk. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the law; but they don’t understand either what they’re talking about or the things about which they pronounce so confidently.

The purpose of the law

⁸ We know, after all, that the law is good—if someone uses it lawfully! ⁹ We recognize that the law is not laid down for people who are in the right, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinners, the unholy and worldly, for people who kill their father or mother, for murderers, ¹⁰ fornicators, practicing homosexuals, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and those who practice any other behavior contrary to healthy teaching, ¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of God the blessed one that was entrusted to me.

Paul as an example of God’s saving grace

¹² I thank Messiah Jesus our Lord, who gave me strength. He regarded me as trustworthy by appointing me to his service— ¹³ even though I used to say blasphemous things against him, and persecuted his people violently! But I received mercy, because in my unbelief I didn’t know what I was doing. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was more than enough for me, with the faith and love that are in Messiah Jesus. ¹⁵ Here is a word you can trust, which deserves total approval: “Messiah Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I’m the worst of them! ¹⁶ But this was why I received mercy: so that in me, precisely as the worst, Messiah Jesus could demonstrate the full scale of his patience, and make me a pattern for those who were going to believe in him and so attain the life of the age to come. ¹⁷ To the King of the ages, the one and only God, immortal and invisible, be honor and glory to the ages of ages, Amen!

The battle of faith

¹⁸ I am giving you this command, Timothy my child, in accordance with the prophecies which were made about you before, so that, as they said, you may fight the glorious battle, ¹⁹ holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected conscience, and their faith has been shipwrecked. ²⁰ I include Hymenaeus and Alexander in that category. Indeed, I have handed them over to the satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

The first rule: prayer for the world

2 So, then, this is my very first command: God’s people should make petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings on behalf of all people— ² on behalf of kings, and all who hold high office, so that we may lead a tranquil and peaceful life, in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good; it is acceptable with God our savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to know the truth. ⁵ For, you see,

⁷ This is why I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I’m speaking the truth, I’m not lying!), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Women must be allowed to be learners

⁸ So this is what I want: the men should pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, with no anger or disputing. ⁹ In the same way the women, too, should clothe themselves decently, being modest and sensible about it. They should not go in for elaborate hairstyles, or gold, or pearls, or expensive clothes. ¹⁰ Instead, as is appropriate for women who profess to be godly, they should adorn themselves with good works. ¹¹ They must study undisturbed, in full submission to God. ¹² I’m not saying that women should teach men, or try to dictate to them; rather, that they should be left undisturbed. ¹³ Adam was created first, you see, and then Eve; ¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived, and fell into trespass. ¹⁵ She will, however, be kept safe through the process of childbirth, if she continues in faith, love and holiness with prudence.

The character of a bishop

3 Here is a trustworthy saying: if someone is eager for the work of overseeing God’s people, the task they seek is a fine one. ² The bishop must be beyond reproach. He must not have more than one wife. He must be temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, a good teacher. ³ He must not be a heavy drinker, or violent, but must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not in love with money. ⁴ He must be good at managing his own household, with his children being subject to him with all godliness. ⁵ (After all, if a man doesn’t know how to run his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?) ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, in case he gets puffed up and falls into the devil’s condemnation. ⁷ In addition, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he may not incur reproach and fall into the devil’s snare.

The character of deacons

⁸ In the same way, deacons must be serious-minded, not the sort of people who say one thing today and another tomorrow, not heavy drinkers, not eager for shameful gain. ⁹ They must hold on to the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. ¹⁰ They must first be tested; then, when they have been found without reproach, they may serve as deacons. ¹¹ The womenfolk, too, should be serious-minded, not slanderers, but temperate and faithful in all things. ¹² Deacons should have only one wife, and should be well in charge of their children and their own households. ¹³ Those who serve well as deacons, you see, gain a good platform for themselves to speak out boldly in the faith which is in Messiah Jesus.

The mystery of godliness

¹⁴ I’m writing this to you in the hope that I’ll be able to come to you in the near future. ¹⁵ But, if I’m delayed, this will help you to know how people should behave in God’s household, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and firm foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ Indeed, the mystery of godliness is certainly great:

Beware of false teaching!

4 Now the spirit specifically declares that in the last times some people will abandon the faith, and will cling on to deceitful spirits and demonic teachings ² perpetrated by hypocritical false teachers whose consciences are branded with a hot iron. ³ They will forbid marriage, and teach people to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by people who believe and know the truth. ⁴ Every creation of God, you see, is good; nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ for then it is made holy by God’s word and prayer.

Get into training!

⁶ Set these instructions before the family. If you do this, you will be a good servant of Messiah Jesus; you will be nourished by the words of faith and the good teaching which you have been following. ⁷ Keep well away from worthless myths, the sort of things some old women mumble on about.

Go into training in godliness! ⁸ Physical exercise, you see, has a limited usefulness, but godliness is useful in every way. It carries the promise of life both now and in the future. ⁹ That saying is trustworthy; it deserves to be accepted totally! ¹⁰ This is what we are working and struggling for, you see, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the savior of all people—more especially, of believers.

Pay attention to yourself and your teaching

¹¹ You must urge and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example to the believers in what you say, how you behave, in love, faith and holiness. ¹³ Until I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation and to teaching. ¹⁴ Don’t neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy when the elders laid hands on you. ¹⁵ Work hard at these things; give yourself to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Pay attention to yourself and your teaching, and keep steadily on with them. If you do that, you see, you will save yourself, and those who hear you as well.

Human families and God’s family

5 Don’t rebuke a senior man in the church, but exhort him as you might do with your father—or, in the case of younger ones, with your brothers. ² Treat the older women as mothers, and the younger ones as sisters, with all purity.

³ Pay respect to widows who really are widows. ⁴ If a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to respect their own family and to make some repayment to those who brought them up. This, you see, pleases God. ⁵ A real widow is one who, left by herself, has set her hope on God, and continues in prayer and supplication night and day; ⁶ but a self-indulgent woman is dead even while she’s alive. ⁷ Give these commands so that they may be beyond blame. ⁸ If anyone doesn’t take care of their own relatives, especially their own household, they have denied the faith; they are worse than unbelievers.

Widows

⁹ Let a woman be registered as a widow if she is at least sixty years old, the wife of one husband, ¹⁰ with a reputation for good works, having brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the feet of God’s people, helped those who were suffering, and been steadfast in doing good wherever she can. ¹¹ Refuse to register younger widows. When their desires become strong against the Messiah, you see, they will want to marry, ¹² and they will receive condemnation because they have abandoned their earlier faith. ¹³ In addition, they learn the habit of idleness, going around from one house to another, not only wasting their time but gossiping and meddling, saying things they shouldn’t.

¹⁴ So this is my wish: the younger ones should marry, have children, run their households and give the enemy no opportunity to slander us ¹⁵ (some, you see, have already gone off after the satan!) ¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widowed, let her help them, so that the church won’t be burdened. That way, it can help widows who really are widows.

Elders

¹⁷ Elders who are good leaders ought to be paid double, particularly those who work hard in speaking and teaching. ¹⁸ The Bible says, you see, “Don’t muzzle an ox when it’s threshing,” and “the worker deserves his pay.”

¹⁹ Don’t accept an accusation against an elder, unless it is supported “by two or three witnesses.” ²⁰ When people persist in sin, rebuke them openly, so that the rest may be afraid.

²¹ Before God, Messiah Jesus and the chosen angels, I give you solemn warning to keep these commands without discrimination. Never act out of favoritism. ²² Don’t be too quick to lay hands on anyone; don’t share in other people’s sins. Keep yourself pure.

²³ You should stop confining yourself to drinking water. Use wine (in moderation!). That will be good for your digestion, and for the physical problems you often have.

²⁴ Some people’s sins are obvious, and walk ahead of them into the courtroom. Other people’s follow them there. ²⁵ In the same way, good works are obvious; but, even when they aren’t, they can’t stay hidden forever.

Slaves, masters and sound teaching

6 All who live as slaves, “under the yoke” so to speak, should consider their own masters as worthy of all respect, so that people may not say wicked things against the name of God and the teaching. ² Those who have masters who are also believers should not look down on them because they are brothers, but rather give them service, since those who receive the benefit of their work are beloved fellow believers.

Teach these things, and exhort people to do them. ³ Some people teach other things, and don’t hold firmly to the healthy words of our Lord Messiah Jesus, and the teaching which goes with piety; ⁴ people like that are conceited and have no understanding. They have a diseased craving for disputes and arguments about words. That just leads to envy, jealousy, evil speaking, wicked suspicions ⁵ and irritating arguments among people with depraved minds who have lost their grip on the truth and imagine that godliness is a means of gain.

Godliness and contentment

⁶ If it’s gain you want, though, there is plenty to be had in godliness—if it’s combined with contentment. ⁷ We brought nothing into the world, after all, and we certainly can’t take anything out. ⁸ If we have food and clothing, we should be satisfied with it. ⁹ People who want to be rich, by contrast, fall into temptation and a trap, into many foolish and dangerous lusts which drown people in devastation and destruction. ¹⁰ The love of money, you see, is the root of all evil. Some people have been so eager to get rich that they have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves painfully in several ways.

The Messiah’s royal appearing

¹¹ But you, man of God—you must run away from all this. Instead, chase after justice, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. ¹² Fight the noble fight of the faith, get a firm grasp on the life of the coming age, the life you were called to when you made the noble public profession before many witnesses. ¹³ I give you this charge before God, who gives life to all things, and Messiah Jesus, who made the noble profession before Pontius Pilate: ¹⁴ be undefiled and blameless as you keep the commandment, until the royal appearing of our Lord Messiah Jesus, ¹⁵ which the blessed and only Sovereign One, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at its proper time. ¹⁶ He is the only one who possesses immortality; he lives in unapproachable light; no human being has seen him, or can see him. To him be eternal honor and power, Amen!

What to do with money

¹⁷ What about people who are rich in this present world? Tell them not to think of themselves too highly, and to set their hopes, not on something so uncertain as riches, but on the God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous and eager to share. ¹⁹ That way, they will treasure up for themselves a good foundation for the future, and thereby come to possess the life which really is life.

²⁰ Well then, Timothy: keep guard over what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from the pointless and empty talk and contradictions of what is wrongly called “knowledge.” ²¹ Some have claimed to be experts in it, but have missed the target when it comes to the faith.

Grace be with you all.

Rekindle the gift!

1 Paul, an apostle of Messiah Jesus by God’s will, according to the promise of life in Messiah Jesus; ² to Timothy, my dear child. Grace, mercy and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our Lord.

³ I serve God with a clear conscience, as my forebears did, and I am grateful to him that I remember you all the time, as I pray for you night and day. ⁴ I remember how you cried when I left, and I’m longing to see you and be filled with joy. ⁵ I have in my mind a clear picture of your sincere faith—the faith which first lived in Lois your grandmother and Eunice your mother, and which, I am confident, lives in you as well.

⁶ That’s why I now want to remind you that God gave you a gift when I laid my hands on you, and that you must bring it back into a blazing fire! ⁷ After all, the spirit given to us by God isn’t a fearful spirit; it’s a spirit of power, love and prudence.

Don’t be ashamed!

⁸ So don’t be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me as his prisoner. Rather, suffer for the gospel along with us, in accordance with God’s power. ⁹ God saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace in Messiah Jesus before all time and ages, ¹⁰ but has now made it visible through the appearing of our savior Messiah Jesus, who abolished death and, through the gospel, shone a bright light on life and immortality.

¹¹ I was made a herald, apostle and teacher for this gospel; ¹² that’s why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one I have trusted, and I’m convinced that he has the power to keep safe until that day what I have entrusted to him.

¹³ Keep a firm hold on the pattern of healthy teaching which you heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Messiah Jesus. ¹⁴ You have had something very important entrusted to you, too; make sure you look after it, through the holy spirit who dwells in us.

Foes and friends

¹⁵ You will know that everyone in Asia has turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. ¹⁶ May the Lord give mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; he has often refreshed me. He wasn’t ashamed of my chains, ¹⁷ but when he was in Rome he eagerly hunted for me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well all the things he did for me in Ephesus.

Conditions of service

2 So, then, my child: you must be strong in the grace which is in Messiah Jesus. ² You heard the teaching I gave in public; pass it on to faithful people who will be capable of instructing others as well. ³ Take your share of suffering as one of Messiah Jesus’ good soldiers. ⁴ No one who serves in the army gets embroiled in civilian activities, since they want to please the officer who enlisted them. ⁵ If you take part in athletic events, you don’t win the crown unless you compete according to the rules. ⁶ The farmer who does the work deserves the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think about what I say; the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

God’s word is not tied up

⁸ Remember Jesus the Messiah, risen from the dead, from the seed of David, according to my gospel— ⁹ for which I suffer like a criminal, even being chained up! But God’s word is not tied up. ¹⁰ That’s why I put up with everything for the sake of God’s chosen ones, so that they too may obtain, with glory that lasts forever, the salvation which is in Messiah Jesus. ¹¹ You can rely on this saying:

Foolish words and the word of truth

¹⁴ Remind them about these things; and warn them, in God’s presence, not to quarrel about words. This doesn’t do any good; instead, it threatens to ruin people who listen to it. ¹⁵ Do your very best to present yourself before God as one who has passed the test—a workman who has no need to be ashamed, who can carve out a straight path for the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid pointless and empty chatter. It will push people further and further towards ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like a cancer. I’m thinking in particular of Hymenaeus and Philetus; ¹⁸ they have turned aside from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting some people’s faith. ¹⁹ But God’s firm foundation stands, and it has this as its seal: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,” and “Everyone who uses the name of the Lord must leave wickedness behind.”

Vessels for God’s use

²⁰ In a great house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and pottery. Some of them are given special honor in the way they’re used; others are for menial purposes. ²¹ So if people purify themselves from dishonorable things, they will become vessels for honor, made holy, pleasing to the master of the house, fit for every good work.

²² Run away from the passions of youth. Instead, chase after justice, faith, love and peace, along with all who call on the Lord from a pure heart. ²³ Avoid silly and unprofitable disputes, because you know that they produce fights; ²⁴ and the Lord’s servant mustn’t be a fighter, but must be gentle to all people, able to teach, able to bear evil without resentment, ²⁵ able to correct opponents with a meek spirit. It may be that God will give them repentance so that they can arrive at a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and, in coming to their senses, escape the devil’s snare, after having been held captive by him and made to do his will.

Opponents of the truth

3 You need to know this: bad times are coming in the last days. ² People will be in love with themselves, you see, and with money too. They will be boastful, arrogant, abusive, haters of parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ unfeeling, implacable, accusing, dissolute, savage, haters of the good, ⁴ traitors, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding on to a pattern of godliness but denying its power. Avoid people like that! ⁶ This group, you see, includes those who worm their way into people’s houses and ensnare foolish women who are overwhelmed with their sins and are pulled and pushed by all kinds of desires, ⁷ always learning but never able to arrive at the truth. ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres stood up against Moses, so people like this oppose the truth. In their minds they are corrupt; in their faith they are of no account. ⁹ They won’t get very far, though, because their foolishness will become obvious to everyone, as it was with those two.

Continue in the scriptures!

¹⁰ So what about you? You have followed my teaching faithfully, and also my way of life, my aims and goals, my faith, longsuffering, love and patience, ¹¹ my persecutions, my sufferings, the things I went through in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra, the persecutions I endured—and the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² Yes, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Messiah Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evil people and impostors will go on to even worse things, deceiving others and being themselves deceived. ¹⁴ But you, on the other hand, must stand firm in the things you learned and believed. You know who it was you received them from, ¹⁵ and how from childhood you have known the holy writings which have the power to make you wise for salvation through faith in Messiah Jesus. ¹⁶ All scripture, breathed as it is by God, is useful for teaching, for rebuke, for improvement, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that people who belong to God may be complete, fitted out and ready for every good work.

Judgment is coming—so get on with your work

4 This is my solemn charge to you, in the presence of God and Messiah Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearance and his kingdom: ² announce the word; keep going whether the time is right or wrong; rebuke, warn and encourage with all patience and explanation. ³ The time is coming, you see, when people won’t tolerate healthy teaching. Their ears will start to itch, and they will collect for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. ⁴ They will turn away from listening to the truth and will go after myths instead. ⁵ But as for you, keep your balance in everything! Put up with suffering; do the work of an evangelist; complete the particular task assigned to you.

Waiting for the crown

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink-offering; my departure time has arrived. ⁷ I have fought the good fight; I have completed the course; I have kept the faith. ⁸ What do I still have to look for? The crown of righteousness! The Lord, the righteous judge, will give it to me as my reward on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Come to me soon

⁹ Make every effort to come to me soon. ¹⁰ Demas, you see, has left me and gone to Thessalonica; he’s in love with this present world! Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹ Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you; he’s very helpful in looking after me. ¹² I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³ I left a cloak at Carpus’ house in Troas; please bring it with you when you come—and also the scrolls, and especially the books.

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith did me a lot of damage. The Lord will pay him back according to what he’s done! ¹⁵ Watch out for him yourself. He stood out strongly against our message.

¹⁶ The first time my case came to court nobody showed up to support me; they all left me alone. May it not be reckoned against them! ¹⁷ But the Lord stood there beside me and gave me strength to enable me to complete my work as his royal herald, and to make sure that all the Gentiles heard the proclamation; and I was snatched clear of the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will snatch me clear from every wicked deed and will save me for his heavenly kingdom. Glory to him for the ages of ages, Amen!

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

²⁰ Erastus stayed in Corinth. I left Trophimus behind in Miletus, where he was sick.

²¹ Do your best to come before winter.

Eubulus sends his greetings; so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the family.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

God’s revealed plan

1 From Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with the faith of God’s chosen people, and the knowledge of the truth that goes with godliness, ² in the hope of the life of the coming age. God, who never lies, promised this before the ages began, ³ and has now, at the right time, unveiled his word through the proclamation entrusted to me, according to the command of our divine savior.

⁴ To Titus, my true child, according to the faith which we share.

Grace and peace from God the father and Messiah Jesus our savior.

Appointing elders

⁵ This is why I left you in Crete: you are to set straight all the remaining matters, and appoint elders for every town, as I charged you to do. ⁶ Elders must be blameless, the husband of only one wife. Their children must be believers, and must not be open to the accusation of loose living, or being rebellious. ⁷ This is because an overseer, as one of God’s household managers, must be blameless. He must not be stubborn, or hotheaded, or a heavy drinker, or a bully, or eager for shameful gain. ⁸ He must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, sensible, just, holy and self-controlled. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the reliable word which goes with the teaching, so that he may have the power both to exhort people with healthy instruction and to give a proper rebuttal to those who oppose it.

The problems in Crete

¹⁰ There are many, you see, who refuse to come into line—people who speak foolishness and deceive others. This is true in particular of the circumcision party. ¹¹ It’s important that they should be silenced, because they are overturning whole households by teaching things that shouldn’t be taught—and trying to make a shameful living out of it! ¹² One of their own, a native prophet, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil animals, idle guzzlers.” ¹³ This testimony is true! That’s why you must rebuke them sternly, so that they may become healthy in the faith, ¹⁴ paying no attention to Jewish myths and the commandments of people who reject the truth. ¹⁵ Everything is pure to people who are pure. But if people are defiled or faithless, nothing is pure for them; even their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They declare that they know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable and disobedient, and useless for any good work.

Commands to households

2 So what must you do? Just this: you must instruct people how to conduct themselves in accordance with healthy teaching.

² The older men are to be sober, dignified, sensible, and healthy in faith, love and patience. ³ In the same way, older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or enslaved to heavy drinking, able to teach what is good. ⁴ That way, they can give sensible instructions to the younger women on how to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ and how to be sensible, holy, good at looking after the household, and submissive to their own husbands, so that people won’t have bad things to say about the word of God. ⁶ You must urge the younger men, in the same way, to be sensible ⁷ in all things.

Make sure you present yourself as a pattern of good works. Your teaching must be consistent and serious, ⁸ in healthy speech that is beyond reproach. That way, our opponents will be ashamed, since they won’t have anything bad to say about us.

⁹ Slaves must be submissive in everything to their masters. They must do what is wanted and not answer back ¹⁰ or help themselves to their masters’ property. They are to show good faith in everything, so that in every way they may be a good advertisement for the teaching of God our savior.

Grace, hope and holiness

¹¹ God’s saving grace, you see, appeared for all people. ¹² It teaches us that we should turn our backs on ungodliness and the passions of the world, and should live sober, just and devout lives in the present age, ¹³ while we wait eagerly for the blessed hope and royal appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself for us so that he could ransom us from all lawless actions and purify for himself a people as his very own who would be eager for good works.

¹⁵ This is what you must say. Exhort people and rebuke them. Use full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

God’s kindness and generosity—and ours

3 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. ² They are not to speak evil of anyone, nor to be quarrelsome, but to be kindly. They must be completely gentle with everyone.

³ We ourselves, you see, used at one time to be foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various kinds of passions and pleasures. We spent our time in wickedness and jealousy. We were despicable in ourselves, and we hated one another. ⁴ But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not by works that we did in righteousness, but in accordance with his own mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewal of the holy spirit, ⁶ which was poured out richly upon us through Jesus the Messiah, our savior, ⁷ so that we might be justified by his grace and be made his heirs, in accordance with the hope of the life of the age to come. ⁸ The saying is sure.

Watch out for disputes and divisions

I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may take care to be energetic in good works. Such things are good and profitable for people. ⁹ But stay well clear of foolish disputes, genealogies, quarrels and squabbles about the law; they serve no purpose, and are worthless. ¹⁰ If someone is causing divisions, give them a first warning, then a second, and then avoid them. ¹¹ You know that a person like that is twisted, sinful and self-condemned.

¹² When I send Artemas to you, or maybe Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis. That’s where I’ve decided to spend the winter. ¹³ Give a really good send-off to Zenas the lawyer and Apollos; make sure they don’t go short of anything. ¹⁴ All our people must learn to busy themselves with good works, so that they may meet any urgent needs that arise, and not be unfruitful.

¹⁵ All the people with me send you their greetings. Greet those who love us in faith. Grace be with you all.

Greetings

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Messiah Jesus, and Timothy our brother: to our beloved Philemon, our colleague and partner, ² to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our comrade-in-arms, and to God’s people who meet in their house. ³ May grace and peace be upon you, from God our father and Messiah Jesus the Lord.

⁴ I always thank my God when your name comes up in my prayers, ⁵ because I’ve heard of your love and faithful loyalty towards the Lord Jesus and to all God’s people. ⁶ My prayer is this: that the partnership which goes with your faith may have its powerful effect, in realizing every good thing that is at work in us to lead us into the Messiah. ⁷ You see, my dear brother, your love gives me so much joy and comfort! You have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

Paul’s appeal

⁸ Because of all this I could be very bold in the Messiah, and order you to do the right thing. ⁹ But, because of love, I’d much rather appeal to you—yes, it’s me, Paul, speaking, an old man as I am and now a prisoner of Messiah Jesus! ¹⁰ I am appealing to you about my child, the one I have fathered here in prison: Onesimus, “Mr Useful.” ¹¹ There was a time when he was useless to you; but now he’s very useful, to you and to me.

¹² I’m sending him to you for your decision—yes, sending the man himself; and this means sending my own heart. ¹³ I would have liked to keep him here with me, so that he could have been your representative in serving me in the chains of the gospel. ¹⁴ But I didn’t want to do anything without you knowing about it. That way, when you did the splendid thing that the situation requires, it wouldn’t be under compulsion, but of your own free will.

Paul’s perspective

¹⁵ Look at it like this. Maybe this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you could have him back forever— ¹⁶ no longer as a slave, but much more than a slave, as a beloved brother, beloved especially to me, but how much more to you, both as part of your household and in the Lord. ¹⁷ So, anyway, if you reckon me a partner in your work, receive him as though he was me. ¹⁸ And if he’s wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, put that down on my account. ¹⁹ This is me, Paul, writing with my own hand: I’ll pay you back (and far be it from me to remind you that you owe me your own very self!). ²⁰ Yes, my brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in the Messiah.

²¹ As I write this I’m confident that you’ll do what I say. In fact, I know you’ll do more than I say. ²² But, at the same time, get a guest room ready for me. I’m hoping, you see, that through your prayers I will be granted to you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Messiah Jesus, sends you greetings. ²⁴ So do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my colleagues here.

²⁵ The grace of the Lord, Messiah Jesus, be with your spirit.