Bible in 90 Days

1 From: Sha’ul, Sila and Timothy

To: The Messianic Community of the Thessalonians, united with God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:

Grace to you and shalom.

² We always thank God for all of you, regularly mentioning you in our prayers, ³ calling to mind before God our Father what our Lord Yeshua the Messiah has brought about in you — how your trust produces action, your love hard work, and your hope perseverance. ⁴ We know, brothers, that God has loved and chosen you; ⁵ that the Good News we brought did not become for you a matter only of words, but also one of power, the Ruach HaKodesh and total conviction — just as you know how we lived for your sakes when we were with you. ⁶ You, indeed, became imitators of us and of the Lord; so that even though you were going through severe troubles, you received the Word with joy from the Ruach HaKodesh.

⁷ Thus you became a pattern for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia; ⁸ for the Lord’s message sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere your trust toward God became known. The result is that we don’t need to say anything; ⁹ since they themselves keep telling us about the welcome we received from you and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the true God, the one who is alive, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son Yeshua, whom he raised from the dead, to appear from heaven and rescue us from the impending fury of God’s judgment.

2 You yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not fruitless. ² On the contrary, although we had already suffered and been outraged in Philippi, as you know, we had the courage, united with our God, to tell you the Good News even under great pressure. ³ For the appeal we make does not flow from error or from impure motives, neither do we try to trick people. ⁴ Instead, since God has tested us and found us fit to be entrusted with Good News, this is how we speak: not to win favor with people but with God, who tests our hearts. ⁵ For, as you know, never did we employ flattering talk, nor did we put on a false front to mask greed — God is witness. ⁶ Nor did we seek human praise — either from you or from others. ⁷ As emissaries of the Messiah, we could have made our weight felt; but instead, we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother feeding and caring for her children. ⁸ We were so devoted to you that we were glad to share with you not only God’s Good News but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. ⁹ For you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship, how we worked night and day not to put a burden on any of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless our behavior was in the sight of you believers; ¹¹ for you know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his children — ¹² we encouraged you and comforted you and appealed to you to lead lives worthy of God, who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

¹³ Another reason we regularly thank God is that when you heard the Word of God from us, you received it not merely as a human word, but as it truly is, God’s Word, which is at work in you believers. ¹⁴ For, brothers, you came to be imitators of God’s congregations in Y’hudah that are united with the Messiah Yeshua — you suffered the same things from your countrymen as they did from the Judeans who ¹⁵ both killed the Lord Yeshua and the prophets, and chased us out too. They are displeasing God and opposing all mankind ¹⁶ by trying to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles, so that they may be delivered. Their object seems to be always to make their sins as bad as possible! But God’s fury will catch up with them in the end.

¹⁷ And as for us, brothers, when we were deprived of your company for a short time — in person, but not in thought — we missed you and tried hard to come and see you. ¹⁸ We wanted so much to come to you — I, Sha’ul, tried more than once — but the Adversary stopped us. ¹⁹ For when our Lord Yeshua returns, what will be our hope, our joy, our crown to boast about? Won’t it be you? ²⁰ Yes, you are our glory and our joy!

3 So when we could no longer stand it, we agreed to be left in Athens alone ² and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker for the Good News of the Messiah, to make you solid and encourage you in your trust; ³ so that none of you would let these persecutions unsettle him. For you yourselves know that these are bound to come to us; ⁴ even when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were about to be persecuted; and indeed it has happened, as you know. ⁵ That is the reason why, after I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your trust. I was afraid that somehow the Tempter had tempted you, and our hard work had been wasted.

⁶ But now Timothy has come to us from you, bringing good news about your trust and love, and telling us that you remember us well and are always longing to see us, just as we long to see you. ⁷ Because of this, brothers, in spite of all our trouble and distress, we were comforted over you — because of your trust; ⁸ so that now we are alive; since you continue to stand fast, united with the Lord.

⁹ Indeed, how can we thank God enough for you or express to our God all the joy we feel because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray as hard as we can that we will be able to see you face to face and supply whatever shortcomings there may be in your trust. ¹¹ May God our Father and our Lord Yeshua direct our way to you.

¹² And as for you, may the Lord make you increase and overflow in love toward each other, indeed, toward everyone, just as we do toward you; ¹³ so that he may give you the inner strength to be blameless, by reason of your holiness, when you stand before God our Father at the coming of our Lord Yeshua with all his angels.

4 Therefore, brothers, just as you learned from us how you had to live in order to please God, and just as you are living this way now, we ask you — indeed, united with the Lord Yeshua, we urge you — to keep doing so more and more. ² For you know what instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Yeshua. ³ What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, ⁴ that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, ⁵ without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God. ⁶ No one should wrong his brother in this matter or take advantage of him, because the Lord punishes all who do such things — as we have explained to you before at length. ⁷ For God did not call us to live an unclean life but a holy one. ⁸ Therefore, whoever rejects this teaching is rejecting not a man but God, indeed, the One who gives you the Ruach HaKodesh, which is his.

⁹ Concerning love for the brothers we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other; ¹⁰ and you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do it even more.

¹¹ Also, make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own business and to earn your living by your own efforts — just as we told you. ¹² Then your daily life will gain the respect of outsiders, and you will not be dependent on anyone.

¹³ Now, brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died; otherwise, you might become sad the way other people ¹⁴ do who have nothing to hope for. For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that in the same way God, through Yeshua, will take with him those who have died. ¹⁵ When we say this, we base it on the Lord’s own word: we who remain alive when the Lord comes will certainly not take precedence over those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with God’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; ¹⁷ then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and thus we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words.

5 But you have no need to have anything written to you, brothers, about the times and dates when this will happen; ² because you yourselves well know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ When people are saying, “Everything is so peaceful and secure,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, the way labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there is no way they will escape.

⁴ But you, brothers, are not in the dark, so that the Day should take you by surprise like a thief; ⁵ for you are all people who belong to the light, who belong to the day. We don’t belong to the night or to darkness, ⁶ so let’s not be asleep, like the rest are; on the contrary, let us stay alert and sober. ⁷ People who sleep, sleep at night; and people who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us stay sober, putting on trust and love as a breastplate and the hope of being delivered as a helmet.^{[a] 9} For God has not intended that we should experience his fury, but that we should gain deliverance through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, ¹⁰ who died on our behalf so that whether we are alive or dead, we may live along with him. ¹¹ Therefore, encourage each other, and build each other up — just as you are doing.

¹² We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are working hard among you, those who are guiding you in the Lord and confronting you in order to help you change. ¹³ Treat them with the highest regard and love because of the work they are doing. Live at peace among yourselves; ¹⁴ but we urge you, brothers, to confront those who are lazy, your aim being to help them change, to encourage the timid, to assist the weak, and to be patient with everyone.

¹⁵ See that no one repays evil for evil; on the contrary, always try to do good to each other, indeed, to everyone.

¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Pray regularly. ¹⁸ In everything give thanks, for this is what God wants from you who are united with the Messiah Yeshua.

¹⁹ Don’t quench the Spirit, ²⁰ don’t despise inspired messages. ²¹ But do test everything — hold onto what is good, ²² but keep away from every form of evil.

²³ May the God of shalom make you completely holy — may your entire spirit, soul and body be kept blameless for the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. ²⁴ The one calling you is faithful, and he will do it.

²⁵ Brothers, keep praying for us.

²⁶ Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.

²⁷ I charge you in the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

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

1 From: Sha’ul, Sila and Timothy

To: The Messianic Community of the Thessalonians, united with God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:

² Grace to you and shalom from God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

³ We have to keep thanking God for you always, brothers, as is appropriate; because your trust continues to grow greater, and the love you each have for one another continues to increase. ⁴ Therefore, we boast about you in the congregations of God because of your perseverance and trust in all the persecutions and troubles you are going through. ⁵ This is clear evidence that God’s judgment is just; and as a result, you will be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which you are suffering. ⁶ For it is justice for God to pay back trouble to those who are troubling you, ⁷ and to give rest along with us to you who are being troubled, when the Lord Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in a fiery flame. Then he will punish those who don’t know God,^[b] that is, those who don’t listen to the Good News of our Lord Yeshua and obey it. ⁹ They will suffer the just penalty of eternal destruction, far away from the face of the Lord and the glory of his might.^{[c] 10} On that Day, when he comes to be glorified by his holy people and admired by all who have trusted, you will be among them, because you trusted our witness to you.

¹¹ With this in view, we always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill by his power every good purpose of yours and every action stemming from your trust. ¹² In this way, the name of our Lord Yeshua will be glorified in you, and you in him, in accordance with the grace of our God and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

2 But in connection with the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to meet him, we ask you, brothers, ² not to be easily shaken in your thinking or anxious because of a spirit or a spoken message or a letter supposedly from us claiming that the Day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.

For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom. ⁴ He will oppose himself to everything that people call a god or make an object of worship; he will put himself above them all, so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.^[d]

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was still with you, I used to tell you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, so that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For already this separating from Torah is at work secretly, but it will be secretly only until he who is restraining is out of the way. ⁸ Then the one who embodies separation from Torah will be revealed, the one whom the Lord Yeshua will slay with the breath of his mouth^[e] and destroy by the glory of his coming.

⁹ When this man who avoids Torah comes, the Adversary will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders. ¹⁰ He will enable him to deceive, in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are headed for destruction because they would not receive the love of the truth that could have saved them. ¹¹ This is why God is causing them to go astray, so that they will believe the Lie. ¹² The result will be that all who have not believed the truth, but have taken their pleasure in wickedness, will be condemned.

¹³ But we have to keep thanking God for you always, brothers whom the Lord loves, because God chose you as firstfruits for deliverance by giving you the holiness that has its origin in the Spirit and the faithfulness that has its origin in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our Good News, so that you could have the glory of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

¹⁵ Therefore, brothers, stand firm; and hold to the traditions you were taught by us, whether we spoke them or wrote them in a letter. ¹⁶ And may our Lord Yeshua the Messiah himself and God our Father, who has loved us and by his grace given us eternal comfort and a good hope, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.

3 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and receive honor, just as it did with you; ² and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has trust. ³ But the Lord is worthy of trust; he will make you firm and guard you from the Evil One. ⁴ Yes, united with the Lord we are confident about you, that you are doing the things we are telling you to do, and that you will keep on doing them. ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and the perseverance which the Messiah gives.

⁶ Now, in the name of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we command you, brothers, to stay away from any brother who is leading a life of idleness, a life not in keeping with the tradition you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you must imitate us, that we were not idle when we were among you. ⁸ We did not accept anyone’s food without paying; on the contrary, we labored and toiled, day and night, working so as not to be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was not that we hadn’t the right to be supported, but so that we could make ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: if someone won’t work, he shouldn’t eat! ¹¹ We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness — not busy working, just busybodies! ¹² We command such people — and in union with the Lord Yeshua the Messiah we urge them — to settle down, get to work, and earn their own living. ¹³ And you brothers who are doing what is good, don’t slack off! ¹⁴ Furthermore, if anyone does not obey what we are saying in this letter, take note of him and have nothing to do with him, so that he will be ashamed. ¹⁵ But don’t consider him an enemy; on the contrary, confront him as a brother and try to help him change.

¹⁶ Now may the Lord of shalom himself give you shalom always in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.

¹⁷ The greeting in my own handwriting: From Sha’ul. This is the mark of genuineness in every letter, this is what my handwriting looks like.

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you all.

1 From: Sha’ul, an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua by command of God our deliverer and the Messiah Yeshua our hope,

² To: Timothy, a true son because of your trust:

Grace, mercy and shalom from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua our Lord.

³ As I counseled you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus, so that you may order certain people who are teaching a different doctrine to stop. ⁴ Have them stop devoting their attention to myths and never-ending genealogies; these divert people to speculating instead of doing God’s work, which requires trust. ⁵ The purpose of this order is to promote love from a clean heart, from a good conscience and from sincere trust. ⁶ Some, by aiming amiss, have wandered off into fruitless discussion. ⁷ They want to be teachers of Torah, but they understand neither their own words nor the matters about which they make such emphatic pronouncements. ⁸ We know that the Torah is good, provided one uses it in the way the Torah itself intends. ⁹ We are aware that Torah is not for a person who is righteous, but for those who are heedless of Torah and rebellious, ungodly and sinful, wicked and worldly, for people who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral — both heterosexual and homosexual — slave dealers, liars, perjurers, and anyone who acts contrary to the sound teaching ¹¹ that accords with the Good News of the glorious and blessed God.

This Good News was entrusted to me; ¹² and I thank the one who has given me strength, the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord, that he considered me trustworthy enough to put me in his service, ¹³ even though I used to be a man who blasphemed and persecuted and was arrogant! But I received mercy because I had acted in unbelief, not understanding what I was doing. ¹⁴ Our Lord’s grace overflowed to me with trust and love that come through the Messiah Yeshua. ¹⁵ So here is a statement you can trust, one that fully deserves to be accepted: the Messiah came into the world to save sinners, and I’m the number one sinner! ¹⁶ But this is precisely why I received mercy — so that in me, as the number one sinner, Yeshua the Messiah might demonstrate how very patient he is, as an example to those who would later come to trust in him and thereby have eternal life. ¹⁷ So to the King — eternal, imperishable and invisible, the only God there is — let there be honor and glory for ever and ever! Amen.

¹⁸ This charge, son Timothy, I put to you, in keeping with the prophecies already made about you, so that by these prophecies you may fight the good fight, ¹⁹ armed with trust and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, some have made shipwreck of their trust; ²⁰ among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander. I have turned them over to the Adversary, so that they will learn not to insult God.

2 First of all, then, I counsel that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all human beings, ² including kings and all in positions of prominence; so that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives, being godly and upright in everything. ³ This is what God, our Deliverer, regards as good; this is what meets his approval.

⁴ He wants all humanity to be delivered and come to full knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For God is one;^[f] and there is but one Mediator between God and humanity, Yeshua the Messiah, himself human, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom on behalf of all, thus providing testimony to God’s purpose at just the right time. ⁷ This is why I myself was appointed a proclaimer, even an emissary — I am telling the truth, not lying! — a trustworthy and truthful teacher of the Goyim.

⁸ Therefore, it is my wish that when the men pray, no matter where, they should lift up hands that are holy — they should not become angry or get into arguments.

⁹ Likewise, the women, when they pray, should be dressed modestly and sensibly in respectable attire, not with elaborate hairstyles and gold jewelry, or pearls, or expensive clothes. ¹⁰ Rather, they should adorn themselves with what is appropriate for women who claim to be worshipping God, namely, good deeds.

¹¹ Let a woman learn in peace, fully submitted; ¹² but I do not permit a woman to teach a man or exercise authority over him; rather, she is to remain at peace. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Havah. ¹⁴ Also it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who, on being deceived, became involved in the transgression. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, the woman will be delivered through childbearing, provided that she continues trusting, loving and living a holy life with modesty.

3 Here is a statement you can trust: anyone aspiring to be a congregation leader is seeking worthwhile work. ² A congregation leader must be above reproach, he must be faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, orderly, hospitable and able to teach. ³ He must not drink excessively or get into fights; rather, he must be kind and gentle. He must not be a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own household well, having children who obey him with all proper respect; ⁵ for if a man can’t manage his own household, how will he be able to care for God’s Messianic Community? ⁶ He must not be a new believer, because he might become puffed up with pride and thus fall under the same judgment as did the Adversary. ⁷ Furthermore, he must be well regarded by outsiders, so that he won’t fall into disgrace and into the Adversary’s trap.

⁸ Likewise, the shammashim must be of good character, people whose word can be trusted. They must not give themselves to excessive drinking or be greedy for dishonest gain. ⁹ They must possess the formerly hidden truth of the faith with a clean conscience. ¹⁰ And first, let them be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them be appointed shammashim. ¹¹ Similarly, the wives must be of good character, not gossips, but temperate, faithful in everything. ¹² Let the shammashim each be faithful to his wife, managing his children and household well. ¹³ For those who serve well as shammashim gain good standing for themselves and much boldness in the trust that comes through Yeshua the Messiah.

¹⁴ I hope to visit you soon; but I am writing these things ¹⁵ so that if I am delayed, you may know how one should behave in the household of God, which is the Messianic Community of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. ¹⁶ Great beyond all question is the formerly hidden truth underlying our faith:

4 The Spirit expressly states that in the acharit-hayamim some people will apostatize from the faith by paying attention to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ² Such teachings come from the hypocrisy of liars whose own consciences have been burned, as if with a red-hot branding iron. ³ They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods which God created to be eaten with thanksgiving by those who have come to trust and to know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing received with thanksgiving needs to be rejected, ⁵ because the word of God and prayer make it holy.

⁶ If you present all this to the brothers, you will be serving the Messiah Yeshua well; it will show that you have digested the words of the faith and of the good teaching which you have followed. ⁷ But refuse godless bubbe-meises, and exercise yourself in godliness. ⁸ For although physical exercise does have some value, godliness is valuable for everything, since it holds promise both for the present life and for the life to come. ⁹ Here is a statement you can trust, one that fully deserves to be accepted ¹⁰ (indeed, it is for this that we toil and strive): we have our hope set on a living God who is the deliverer of all humanity, especially of those who trust.

¹¹ Command these things and teach them. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because of your youth; on the contrary, set the believers an example in your speech, behavior, love, trust and purity. ¹³ Until I come, pay attention to the public reading of the Scriptures. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which you were given through a prophecy when the body of elders gave you s’mikhah. ¹⁵ Be diligent about this work, throw yourself into it, so that your progress may be clear to everyone. ¹⁶ Pay attention to yourself and to the teaching, continue in it, for by so doing you will deliver both yourself and those who hear you.

5 Do not rebuke an older man sharply, but appeal to him as you would to a father; treat younger men like brothers, ² older women like mothers and younger women like sisters, with absolute purity.

³ Show respect to widows who are really in need. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, first let them learn to do their religious duty to their own family and thus repay some of the debt they owe their forebears, for this is what is acceptable in the sight of God. ⁵ Now the widow who is really in need, the one who has been left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day. ⁶ But the one who is self-indulgent is already dead, even though she lives. ⁷ And instruct them about this, so that they will not be open to blame. ⁸ Moreover, anyone who does not provide for his own people, especially for his family, has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ Let a widow be enrolled on the list of widows only if she is more than sixty years old, was faithful to her husband, ¹⁰ and is known for her good deeds — as one who has reared her children well, showed hospitality, washed the feet of God’s people, helped those in trouble, and engaged in all kinds of good work.

¹¹ But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when they begin to feel natural passions that alienate them from the Messiah, they want to get married. ¹² This brings them under condemnation for having set aside the trust they had at first. ¹³ Besides that, they learn to be idle, going around from house to house; and not only idle, but gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn’t. ¹⁴ Therefore, I would rather the young widows get married, have children and take charge of their homes, so as to give the opposition no occasion for slandering us. ¹⁵ For already some have turned astray to follow the Adversary.

¹⁶ If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, she should provide relief for them — the congregation shouldn’t be burdened, so that it may help the widows who are really in need.

¹⁷ The leaders who lead well should be considered worthy of double honor, especially those working hard at communicating the Word and at teaching. ¹⁸ For the Tanakh says, “You are not to muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain,”^[g] in other words, “The worker deserves his wages.” ¹⁹ Never listen to any accusation against a leader unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.^{[h] 20} Rebuke before the whole assembly those leaders who continue sinning, as a warning to the others. ²¹ Before God, the Messiah Yeshua and the chosen angels, I solemnly charge you to observe these instructions, not pre-judging and not doing anything out of favoritism. ²² Do not be hasty in granting s’mikhah to anyone, and do not share in other people’s sins — keep yourself pure.

²³ Stop drinking water; instead, use a little wine for the sake of your digestion and because of your frequent illnesses.

²⁴ The sins of some people are obvious and go ahead of them to judgment, but the sins of others follow afterwards. ²⁵ Likewise, good deeds are obvious; and even when they are not, they can’t stay hidden.

6 Those who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as worthy of full respect, so that the name of God and the teaching will not be brought into disrepute. ² And those who have believing masters are not to show them less respect on the ground that they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve all the more diligently, since those benefiting from their service are believers whom they love.

Teach and exhort people about these things. ³ If anyone teaches differently and does not agree to the sound precepts of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and to the doctrine that is in keeping with godliness, ⁴ he is swollen with conceit and understands nothing. Instead, he has a morbid desire for controversies and word-battles, out of which come jealousy, dissension, insults, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant wrangling among people whose minds no longer function properly and who have been deprived of the truth, so that they imagine that religion is a road to riches. ⁶ Now true religion does bring great riches, but only to those who are content with what they have. ⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world; and we can take nothing out of it; ⁸ so if we have food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these. ⁹ Furthermore, those whose goal is to be rich fall into temptation; they get trapped in many foolish and hurtful ambitions which plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all the evils; because of this craving, some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves to the heart with many pains.

¹¹ But you, as a man of God, flee from these things; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, steadfastness, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you testified so well to your faith before many witnesses. ¹³ I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before the Messiah Yeshua, who in his witness to Pontius Pilate gave the same good testimony, ¹⁴ to obey your commission spotlessly and irreproachably until our Lord Yeshua the Messiah appears. ¹⁵ His appearing will be brought about in its own time by the blessed and sole Sovereign, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal, who dwells in unapproachable light that no human being has ever seen or can see — to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

¹⁷ As for those who do have riches in this present world, charge them not to be proud and not to let their hopes rest on the uncertainties of riches but to rest their hopes on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and ready to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will treasure up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may lay hold of the real life.

²⁰ Oh, Timothy! Keep safe what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from the ungodly babblings and the argumentative opposition of what is falsely called “knowledge.” ²¹ For many who promise this “knowledge” have missed the mark, as far as the faith is concerned. Grace be with you.

1 From: Sha’ul, an emissary of the Messiah Yeshua by God’s will, which holds forth a promise of life through being united with Messiah Yeshua

² To: Timothy, my dear son:

Grace, mercy and shalom from God the Father and the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.

³ I give thanks to God, whom, like my forbears, I worship with a clean conscience, as I regularly remember you in my prayers night and day. ⁴ I am reminded of your tears, and I long to see you, so that I might be filled with joy. ⁵ I recall your sincere trust, the same trust that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice had first; and I am convinced that you too now have this trust.

⁶ For this reason, I am reminding you to fan the flame of God’s gift, which you received through s’mikhah from me. ⁷ For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So don’t be ashamed of bearing testimony to our Lord or to me, his prisoner. On the contrary, accept your share in suffering disgrace for the sake of the Good News. God will give you the strength for it, ⁹ since he delivered us and called us to a life of holiness as his people. It was not because of our deeds, but because of his own purpose and the grace which he gave to us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He did this before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but made it public only now through the appearing of our Deliverer, the Messiah Yeshua, who abolished death and, through the Good News, revealed life and immortality.

¹¹ It was for this Good News that I was appointed a proclaimer, emissary and teacher of the Goyim; ¹² and this is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know him in whom I have put my trust, and I am persuaded that he can keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me. ¹³ Follow the pattern of the sound teachings you have heard from me, with trust and the love which is yours in the Messiah Yeshua. ¹⁴ Keep safe the great treasure that has been entrusted to you, with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, who lives in us.

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia turned away from me, including Phygelus and Ermogenes. ¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he was often a comfort to me and was not ashamed of my being in prison. ¹⁷ On the contrary, when he came to Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant it to him to find mercy from Adonai on that Day. And you know very well how much he helped me in Ephesus.

2 So then, you, my son, be empowered by the grace that comes from the Messiah Yeshua. ² And the things you heard from me, which were supported by many witnesses, these things commit to faithful people, such as will be competent to teach others also. ³ Accept your share in suffering disgrace as a good soldier of the Messiah Yeshua. ⁴ No soldier on duty gets involved with civilian affairs, since he has to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Also an athlete can’t win a contest unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ The farmer who has done the hard work should be the first to receive a share of the harvest. ⁷ Think about what I am saying, for the Lord will enable you to understand everything.

⁸ Remember Yeshua the Messiah, who was raised from the dead, who was a descendant of David. This is the Good News I proclaim, ⁹ and for which I am suffering to the point of being bound in chains — but the Word of God is not bound in chains! ¹⁰ Why do I persevere through it all? For the sake of those who have been chosen, so that they too may obtain the deliverance that comes through the Messiah Yeshua, with eternal glory. ¹¹ Here is a statement you can trust:

¹⁴ Keep reminding people of this, and charge them solemnly before the Lord not to engage in word-battles. They accomplish nothing useful and are a catastrophe for the hearers! ¹⁵ Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth. ¹⁶ But keep away from godless babbling, for those who engage in it will only become more ungodly, ¹⁷ and their teaching will eat away at people like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among these; ¹⁸ they have missed the mark, as far as the truth is concerned, by saying that our resurrection has already taken place; and they are overturning some people’s faith. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, stamped with these words:

and,

²⁰ In a large house there are dishes and pots not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. That is, some are meant for honorable use and some for dishonorable. ²¹ If a person keeps himself free of defilement by the latter, he will be a vessel set aside for honorable use by the master of the house and ready for every kind of good work. ²² So, flee the passions of youth; and, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love and peace. ²³ But stay away from stupid and ignorant controversies — you know that they lead to fights, ²⁴ and a slave of the Lord shouldn’t fight. On the contrary, he should be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and not resentful when mistreated. ²⁵ Also he should be gentle as he corrects his opponents. For God may perhaps grant them the opportunity to turn from their sins, acquire full knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will.

3 Moreover, understand this: in the acharit-hayamim will come trying times. ² People will be self-loving, money-loving, proud, arrogant, insulting, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, uncontrolled, brutal, hateful of good, ⁴ traitorous, headstrong, swollen with conceit, loving pleasure rather than God, ⁵ as they retain the outer form of religion but deny its power.

Stay away from these people! ⁶ For some of them worm their way into homes and get control of weak-willed women who are heaped with sins and swayed by various impulses, ⁷ who are always learning but never able to come to full knowledge of the truth. ⁸ In the same way as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moshe, so also these people oppose the truth. They are people with corrupted minds, whose trust cannot pass the test. ⁹ However, they won’t get very far; because everyone will see how stupid they are, just as happened with those two.

¹⁰ But you, you have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose in life, trust, steadfastness, love and perseverance — ¹¹ as well as the persecutions and sufferings that came my way in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² And indeed, all who want to live a godly life united with the Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted, ¹³ while evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.

¹⁴ But you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, recalling the people from whom you learned it; ¹⁵ and recalling too how from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can give you the wisdom that leads to deliverance through trusting in Yeshua the Messiah. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; ¹⁷ thus anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped for every good work.

4 I solemnly charge you before God and the Messiah Yeshua, who will judge the living and the dead when he appears and establishes his Kingdom: ² proclaim the Word! Be on hand with it whether the time seems right or not. Convict, censure and exhort with unfailing patience and with teaching.

³ For the time is coming when people will not have patience for sound teaching, but will cater to their passions and gather around themselves teachers who say whatever their ears itch to hear. ⁴ Yes, they will stop listening to the truth, but will turn aside to follow myths.

⁵ But you, remain steady in every situation, endure suffering, do the work that a proclaimer of the Good News should, and do everything your service to God requires.

⁶ For as for me, I am already being poured out on the altar; yes, the time for my departure has arrived. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ All that awaits me now is 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 have longed for him to appear.

⁹ Do your best to come to me soon. ¹⁰ For Demas, because he has fallen in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone off to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia; Titus has gone to Dalmatia — ¹¹ only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, because he is a very useful helper in my work. ¹² But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the coat which I left with Carpus in Troas, also the scrolls and especially the parchments. ¹⁴ Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will render to him according to his works;^{[k] 15} and you should guard against him, because he bitterly opposed everything we said.

¹⁶ The first time I had to present my defense, no one stood by me; everyone deserted me — may it not be counted against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and gave me power to proclaim the full message for all the Goyim to hear, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.^{[l] 18} The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹ Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰ Erastus has remained in Corinth, and Trophimus I left ill at Miletus. ²¹ Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.

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

1 From: Sha’ul, God’s slave and an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah, sent to promote among God’s chosen people the trust and knowledge of truth which lead to godliness ² and which are based on the certain hope of eternal life. God, who does not lie, promised that life before the beginning of time ³ but made public this word of his in its own season through a proclamation with which I have been entrusted by order of God, our Deliverer.

⁴ To: Titus, a true son in the faith we share:

Grace and shalom from God the Father and from the Messiah Yeshua, our Deliverer.

⁵ The reason I left you in Crete was so that you might attend to the matters still not in order and appoint congregation leaders in each city — those were my instructions. ⁶ A leader must be blameless, husband to one wife, with believing children who do not have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. ⁷ For an overseer, as someone entrusted with God’s affairs, must be blameless — he must not be self-willed or quick-tempered, he must not drink excessively, get into fights or be greedy for dishonest gain. ⁸ On the contrary, he must be hospitable, devoted to good, sober-mindedness, uprightness, holiness and self-control. ⁹ He must hold firmly to the trustworthy Message that agrees with the doctrine; so that by his sound teaching he will be able to exhort and encourage, and also to refute those who speak against it.

¹⁰ For there are many, especially from the Circumcision faction, who are rebellious, who delude people’s minds with their worthless and misleading talk. ¹¹ They must be silenced; because they are upsetting entire households by teaching what they have no business teaching, and doing it for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² Even one of the Cretans’ own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” — ¹³ and it’s true! For this reason, you must be severe when you rebuke those who have followed this false teaching, so that they will come to be sound in their trust ¹⁴ and no longer pay attention to Judaistic myths or to the commands of people who reject the truth.

¹⁵ To all who are themselves pure, everything is pure. But to those who are defiled and without trust, nothing is pure — even their minds and consciences have been defiled. ¹⁶ They claim to know God, but with their actions they deny him. They are detestable and disobedient; they have proved themselves unfit to do anything good.

2 But you, explain what kind of behavior goes along with sound teaching. ² Tell the older men to be serious, sensible, self-controlled and sound in their trust, love and perseverance.

³ Likewise, tell the older women to behave the way people leading a holy life should. They shouldn’t be slanderers or slaves to excessive drinking. They should teach what is good, ⁴ thus training the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to take good care of their homes and submit to their husbands. In this way, God’s message will not be brought into disgrace.

⁶ Similarly, urge the young men to be self-controlled, ⁷ and in everything set them an example yourself by doing what is good. When you are teaching, have integrity and be serious; ⁸ let everything you say be so wholesome that an opponent will be put to shame because he will have nothing bad to say about us.

⁹ Tell slaves to submit to their masters in everything, to give satisfaction without talking back ¹⁰ or pilfering. On the contrary, they should demonstrate complete faithfulness always, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Deliverer more attractive.

¹¹ For God’s grace, which brings deliverance, has appeared to all people. ¹² It teaches us to renounce godlessness and worldly pleasures, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives now, in this age; ¹³ while continuing to expect the blessed fulfillment of our certain hope, which is the appearing of the Sh’khinah of our great God and the appearing of our Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. ¹⁴ He gave himself up on our behalf in order to free us from all violation of Torah and purify for himself a people who would be his own, eager to do good.

¹⁵ These are the things you should say. Encourage and rebuke with full authority; don’t let anyone look down on you.

3 Remind people to submit to the government and its officials, to obey them, to be ready to do any honorable kind of work, ² to slander no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be friendly, and to behave gently towards everyone.

³ For at one time, we too were foolish and disobedient, deceived and enslaved by a variety of passions and pleasures. We spent our lives in evil and envy; people hated us, and we hated each other. ⁴ But when the kindness and love for mankind of God our Deliverer was revealed, ⁵ he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh, ⁶ whom he poured out on us generously through Yeshua the Messiah, our Deliverer. ⁷ He did it so that by his grace we might come to be considered righteous by God and become heirs, with the certain hope of eternal life. ⁸ You can trust what I have just said, and I want you to speak with confidence about these things, so that those who have put their trust in God may apply themselves to doing good deeds. These are both good in themselves and valuable to the community.

⁹ But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, quarrels and fights about the Torah; because they are worthless and futile. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, then a second time; and after that, have nothing more to do with him. ¹¹ You may be sure that such a person has been perverted and is sinning: he stands self-condemned.

¹² When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you. Do your best to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. ¹³ Do your best to help Zenas the Torah expert and Apollos with their arrangements for travelling, so that they will lack nothing. ¹⁴ And have our people learn to apply themselves to doing good deeds that meet genuine needs, so that they will not be unproductive.

¹⁵ All who are with me send you greetings. Give our greetings to our friends in the faith.

Grace be with you all.

¹ From: Sha’ul, a prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, and brother Timothy

To: Our dear fellow-worker Philemon, ² along with sister Apphia, our fellow-soldier Archippus and the congregation that gathers in your home:

³ Grace and shalom to you from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

⁴ I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers, Philemon, ⁵ for I am hearing about your love and commitment to the Lord Yeshua and to all God’s people. ⁶ I pray that the fellowship based on your commitment will produce full understanding of every good thing that is ours in union with the Messiah. ⁷ For your love has given me much joy and encouragement. Brother, you have refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

⁸ Therefore, I would not hesitate, in union with the Messiah, to direct you to do the thing you ought to do. ⁹ But since I Sha’ul, am the kind of person I am, an old man and now for the Messiah Yeshua’s sake a prisoner besides, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. ¹⁰ My request to you concerns my son, of whom I became the father while here in prison, Onesimus. ¹¹ His name means “useful,” and although he was once useless to you, he has now become most useful — not only to you but also to me; ¹² so that in returning him to you I am sending a part of my very heart. ¹³ I would dearly have loved to keep him with me, in order for him to serve me in your place while I am in prison because of the Good News. ¹⁴ But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that the good you do for me may be voluntary and not forced.

¹⁵ Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a brief period was so that you could have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, as a dear brother. And that he is, especially to me. But how much dearer he must be to you, both humanly and in union with the Lord!

¹⁷ So if you are in fellowship with me, receive him as you would me. ¹⁸ And if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me.

¹⁹ I, Sha’ul, write with my own hand. I will repay it.

(I won’t mention, of course, that you owe me your very life.) ²⁰ Yes, brother, please do me this favor in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Messiah.

²¹ Trusting that you will respond positively, I write knowing that you will indeed do more than I am asking.

²² One more thing: please get a room ready for me. For I hope that through the prayers of you all God will give me a chance to visit you.

²³ Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner for the sake of the Messiah Yeshua, sends greetings to you, ²⁴ as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow-workers.

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