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A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus

¹ You then, ^(a)my child, ^(b)be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, ² and ^(c)what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses ^(d)entrust to faithful men,^{[a] (e)}who will be able to teach others also. ^3 (f)Share in suffering as ^(g)a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No soldier ^(h)gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. ^5 (i)An athlete is not ^(j)crowned unless he competes according to the rules. ⁶ It is ^(k)the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. ⁷ Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, ^(l)risen from the dead, the ^(m)offspring of David, ⁽ⁿ⁾as preached in my gospel, ^9 (o)for which I am suffering, ^(p)bound with chains as a criminal. But ^(q)the word of God is not bound! ¹⁰ Therefore ^(r)I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain ^(s)the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with ^(t)eternal glory. ¹¹ The saying is ^(u)trustworthy, for:

for ^(ab)he cannot deny himself.

A Worker Approved by God

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, and ^(ac)charge them before God^{[b] (ad)}not to quarrel about words, ^(ae)which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,^[c] a worker ^(af)who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. ¹⁶ But ^(ag)avoid ^(ah)irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are ^(ai)Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have swerved from the truth, ^(aj)saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. ¹⁹ But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ^(ak)"The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone ^(al)who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."

²⁰ Now in ^(am)a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, ^(an)some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. ²¹ Therefore, ^(ao)if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,^[d] he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ^(ap)ready for every good work.

²² So ^(aq)flee ^(ar)youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with ^(as)those who call on the Lord ^(at)from a pure heart. ²³ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant ^(au)controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And ^(av)the Lord's servant^[e] must not be quarrelsome but ^(aw)kind to everyone, ^(ax)able to teach, patiently enduring evil, ²⁵ correcting his opponents ^(ay)with gentleness. God ^(az)may perhaps grant them repentance ^(ba)leading to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and they may come to their senses and escape from ^(bb)the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.