| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, | 1This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. |
| 2To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. | 2I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. Warnings against False Teachings |
| 3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, | 3When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. |
| 4nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. | 4Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God. |
| 5Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, | 5The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. |
| 6from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, | 6But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. |
| 7desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. | 7They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. |
| 8But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, | 8We know that the law is good when used correctly. |
| 9knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, | 9For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. |
| 10for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, | 10The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching |
| 11according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. | 11that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. Paul’s Gratitude for God’s Mercy |
| 12And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, | 12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, |
| 13although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. | 13even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. |
| 14And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. | 14Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. |
| 15This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. | 15This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. |
| 16However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. | 16But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. |
| 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. | 17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. Timothy’s Responsibility |
| 18This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, | 18Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. |
| 19having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, | 19Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. |
| 20of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. | 20Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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