2 Timothy 4

₁When Jesus Christ comes again, He will show everyone that He is King and He will judge everyone, people who are alive and the people who have already died. That is why I tell you, and God and Christ Jesus hear what I say: ₂You must preach the message of God to the people. Keep on doing it when people want to listen to it and also when they do not want to listen to it. You must tell them what they are doing wrong and that they must stop doing it, and encourage them to go on living for Christ. You must be very patient with them and teach them what they must know.

₃The time will come when people will not listen to the true message about Christ. They will get teachers that they like and who will say the things that they want to hear. ₄They will not listen to the things that are true. They will listen to false stories. ₅But you, Timothy, must always think about what you do. Keep on serving the Lord even when you are suffering. Do the work that God has given you, tell the Good_News to people and do everything that He tells you to do.

₆The time has come for me to die. I am like a drink-offering to God. ₇I have served the Lord and have done all the work that He gave me to do. I am like an athlete who has run a long race and has finished. I have continued to believe in Christ and to obey Him. ₈The Lord is the Judge, and He always knows best. Now I know that on the day when He comes, He will give me a laurel-crown. He will say that I am righteous. He will give the laurel-crown to me and to everyone who loves Him and waits for Him to come.

₉Timothy, you must try hard to come to me, ₁₀because Demas has left me alone. He loves this world too much and he has gone to the town of Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to the province of Galatia and Titus went to Dalmatia. ₁₁It is only Luke who is with me now. You must go and get Mark and bring him to me because he can help me a lot to do my work. ₁₂I have sent Tychicus to the city of Ephesus. ₁₃I did not take my coat, which is with Carpus, when I left the town of Troas. When you come, please bring it to me. Also bring the books. The scrolls are the most important.

₁₄Alexander the coppersmith has done a lot of bad things to me. The Lord will judge him for the things that he has done. ₁₅You must beware of him because he was always against everything that we said and he has tried to stop people believing what we say. ₁₆When I first came to court because people accused me, there was no one to help me. They all left me alone. I hope that God will not punish them. ₁₇But the Lord has helped me. He made me strong so that I could tell the Good_News to all the Gentiles and they could hear it. The Lord has saved me from my enemies as you save a person from a lion. ₁₈And the Lord will always save me from bad things that can happen to me, and He will bring me safely to heaven where He is King. That is why we must praise the Lord forever. Amen.

₁₉You must greet Priscilla and Aquila and the family of Onesiphorus. ₂₀Erastus stayed in the city of Corinth, and when I went away from the town of Miletus, Trophimus was still there. He was sick. ₂₁You must try to come to me before winter. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the other friends send greetings to you. ₂₂I pray that the Lord will be with you and that He will give you all his grace.