1 This is what I instruct you to do before God and Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead when he comes to establish his kingdom. 2 Speak God's word whether it is convenient or not, tell people where they're going wrong, warn them, encourage them. Do this with a great deal of patient teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people won't bother to listen to true teaching. Instead they will be curious to listen to something different, and will surround themselves with teachers who'll tell them what they want to hear. 4 They will stop listening to the truth and wander off following myths. 5 You need to keep your wits about you at all times. Put up with troubles, do the work of sharing the good news, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I'm about to be sacrificed—the time of my death is approaching. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept my trust in God. 8 Now there's a prize reserved for me—the crown for a life lived according to what is good and right. The Lord (who is the judge that always does what's right), will give that to me on that Day. And not just to me, but to everyone who longs for his coming. 9 Please try to come to me as soon as you can. 10 Demas has abandoned me because he loves the things of this world more, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is here with me. Bring Mark with you, because he can help me with my work. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come please bring the cloak I left behind with Carpus in Troas—and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith caused me a lot of trouble—may God judge him for what he did. 15 You watch out for him too, because he was very much against what we were saying. 16 When it came to my first defense, no one stood up for me—everyone abandoned me. May they not be blamed for this. 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that I could declare the whole of the message so that all the foreigners could hear it. I was rescued out of the lion's mouth! 18 The Lord will rescue me from all the evil things done against me, and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. His is the glory forever and ever. Amen. 19 My greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and to Onesiphorus's family. 20 Erastus stayed on in Corinth. I left Trophimus behind in Miletus because he was sick. 21 Please try to come before winter. Eubulus sends his best wishes—and Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters too. 22 The Lord be with you. May his grace be with you all.
2 Timothy · Free Bible Version
2 Timothy 4 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Alexander
A coppersmith who did Paul great harm; a man of the same name was also handed over to Satan with Hymenaeus, possibly the same person.
Cited in the guide: 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Timothy 4:14
Carpus
The man at Troas with whom Paul left his cloak.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:13
Claudia
A woman who sends greetings to Timothy from Paul in Rome.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:21
Crescens
A coworker who had gone to Galatia during Paul's last imprisonment.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:10
Demas
A coworker of Paul who sends greetings from Rome, but later deserted him because he loved the present world.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10; Philemon 24
Erastus
Named as the city treasurer who sends greetings in Romans, as a helper Paul sent into Macedonia with Timothy, and as one who stayed at Corinth; these are probably the same man.
Cited in the guide: Acts 19:22; Romans 16:23; 2 Timothy 4:20
Eubulus
One who sends greetings to Timothy from Paul in Rome.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:21
Linus
One who sends greetings to Timothy from Paul in Rome.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:21
Luke
Paul's beloved physician and coworker who stayed with him when others had left him in his final imprisonment.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24
Pudens
One who sends greetings to Timothy from Paul in Rome.
Cited in the guide: 2 Timothy 4:21
Trophimus
An Ephesian who accompanied Paul; Jews at Jerusalem falsely claimed Paul had brought him into the temple, and Paul later left him sick at Miletus.
Cited in the guide: Acts 20:4; Acts 21:29; 2 Timothy 4:20
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Timothy 5:21; Matthew 16:27; 2 Timothy 2:14
- 2 1 Timothy 4:15–16; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Revelation 3:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; Titus 2:15
- 3 2 Peter 2:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:1–6; 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 1 Timothy 1:10; Galatians 4:16
- 4 Zechariah 7:11; Acts 7:57; 2 Peter 1:16; 1 Timothy 1:4; 1 Timothy 4:7
- 5 2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:3; 1 Peter 1:13; Colossians 4:17; 2 Timothy 3:10–12
- 6 Philippians 1:23; Philippians 2:17; 2 Peter 1:14–15; Joshua 23:14; Genesis 48:21
- 7 1 Timothy 6:12; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Hebrews 12:1–2; Acts 20:24; Philippians 3:13–14
- 8 James 1:12; Revelation 2:10; 1 Peter 5:4; 1 Peter 1:4; Matthew 6:19–20
- 9 2 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 4:21
- 10 1 John 2:15–16; 2 Timothy 1:15; Colossians 4:14–15; 1 John 5:4–5; Acts 16:6
- 11 Acts 12:12; Acts 12:25; Philemon 24; Acts 15:39; 2 Timothy 1:15
- 12 Ephesians 6:21; Acts 20:4; Titus 3:12; Colossians 4:7; 1 Timothy 1:3
- 13 Acts 16:11; 2 Corinthians 11:27; 1 Corinthians 4:11; Acts 16:8; Acts 20:5–12
- 14 1 Timothy 1:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:6; Psalm 28:4; 1 Samuel 24:12; Acts 19:33–34
- 15 2 Timothy 3:8; Philippians 3:2; Matthew 10:16–17
- 16 Acts 7:60; John 16:32; Mark 14:50; Psalm 31:11–13; Philippians 1:17
- 17 1 Peter 5:8; Philippians 1:12–14; Psalm 22:21; 1 Samuel 17:37; Daniel 6:22
- 18 Psalm 121:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Jude 24–25; Matthew 6:13; John 10:28–30
- 19 Acts 18:2; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:3–4; 2 Timothy 1:16–18; Acts 18:26
- 20 Acts 20:4; Acts 19:22; Philippians 2:26–27; Acts 21:29; Acts 20:15
- 21 2 Timothy 4:9; Philippians 4:22; Romans 16:21–23; 2 Timothy 1:4; 3 John 14
- 22 Philemon 25; Galatians 6:18; Colossians 4:18; Romans 1:7; Revelation 22:21
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
It is worth while to enquire why he calls Timothy to him, inasmuch as he was intrusted with a Church, and a whole nation. It was not from arrogance.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me." From this he shows that he was always attached to and inseparable from him.
… doth he grieve for certain trees, which did not afford him the fruit due unto him, when he saith, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge." For these fruits are due to those who minister spiritual doctrine, through their understanding of …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
How then doth He say elsewhere, "Reprove, rebuke, exhort," and, "Them that sin rebuke before all?" And Christ too to Peter, "Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone," and if he neglect to hear, add to thyself another also; and if not even so doth he yield, declare it to the church likewise?" And how hath …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For, being slain by them, He has risen again, and has requited them meanwhile by temporary discipline, save that for those who are not corrected He keeps it in store for the time when He shall judge the quick and the dead. For the Lord Jesus Himself, in pointing out that very man to the apostles as His betrayer, quoted …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)