1我保羅奉上帝的旨意，按照在基督耶穌裡所應許的生命作基督耶穌的使徒， 2寫信給我親愛的兒子提摩太。
願父上帝和我們的主基督耶穌的恩典、憐憫和平安臨到你！
勉勵忠心事奉
3我日夜不停地為你禱告，對我效法祖先用清潔的良心事奉的上帝充滿了感恩。 4每逢想起你流淚的情形，我就渴望見你，好使我的心充滿喜樂。 5我記得你那真誠無偽的信心。你外祖母羅以和你母親友妮基首先有了這信心，我深信你也有。 6因此我提醒你，要把上帝在我把手按在你身上時賜給你的恩賜充分發揮出來。 7因為上帝賜給我們的不是懦弱的心，而是剛強、仁愛、自律的心。
8所以，你不要羞於為我們的主做見證，也不要以我這為主被囚的人為恥，要靠著上帝的能力和我一同為福音受苦。 9上帝拯救了我們，並呼召我們過聖潔的生活，不是因為我們的行為，而是出於祂的旨意和恩典。早在萬古以前，祂就在基督耶穌裡把這恩典賜給我們了， 10如今藉著我們救主基督耶穌的降世顯明了出來。基督已經消滅了死亡，藉著福音將不朽的生命彰顯了出來。
11我為了這福音受委派做傳道人、使徒和教師。 12我因此而遭受這些苦難，但我不以為恥，因為我知道我所信的是誰，也深信祂能保守祂所託付我的1·12 「祂所託付我的」又可翻譯為「我所信託祂的」。，一直到那日1·12 「那日」指保羅站在基督面前交帳的日子。。 13你要以在基督耶穌裡的信心和愛心，把從我這裡聽到的正確教導當作典範遵守， 14要靠著住在我們裡面的聖靈牢牢守住交託給你的美善之道。
15你知道幾乎所有亞細亞的人都離棄了我，其中包括腓吉路和黑摩其尼。 16願主憐憫阿尼色弗一家人，他常常鼓勵我，不以我被囚禁為恥。 17他在羅馬的時候千方百計尋訪我的下落，直到找著我為止。 18你很清楚，他從前在以弗所怎樣在各個方面服侍我。願主再來時格外地憐憫他。
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving
3I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
Appeal for loyalty to Paul and the gospel
6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Examples of disloyalty and loyalty
15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
