Let God empower you; and entrust the message to loyal/trustworthy people.

1You are like a son to me. So I urge also that you let God empower you spiritually as a result of Christ Jesus acting kindly toward you.

2As you do that, remembering that the message that you heard from me is the same message that other people have affirmed/declared to you, you must entrust/give that message to people whom you can trust, people who will be competent/able/qualified to teach others.

Endure with me what we suffer for Christ Jesus.

3Endure as I do what we suffer for Christ Jesus, like a good soldier endures what he suffers.

4You know that soldiers, in order to please their captain, do not ◄become involved in civilian affairs/spend time doing other kinds of work► [MET]. So, like soldiers, do not let other matters ◄distract you as you serve/hinder you from serving► Christ Jesus!

5Similarly, you know that athletes who do not obey the rules of the contest will not be given {not win} the prize [MET]. So, like athletes, do all that Christ Jesus has commanded so that God will reward you!

6You also know that a hard-working farmer should be the first to receive some of the harvest [MET]. So, like farmers, work hard for Christ Jesus and expect that God will reward you!

7Think about what I have just written, because, if you do, the Lord will enable you to understand everything that you need to understand.

8Endure everything by remembering how Jesus Christ endured it when he suffered. Remember that he came back to life {God raised him from the dead} and God affirmed/declared him to be king as his ancestor King David was. Those are things that I tell to people when I tell them the message about Christ.

9I am suffering here in prison because some people oppose the good message that I tell. They have even put me in chains as if I were a criminal. Nevertheless, the message from God is not chained {nothing is preventing [MET] others from proclaiming the message from God}.

10Therefore I willingly endure all that I am suffering for the sake of those whom God has chosen. I do this in order that Christ Jesus will save them, too, and that they will be forever with him in the glorious place where he is.

11Endure everything as you remember that these words that we all say/sing (OR, that we teach people) are trustworthy: Since we have stopped behaving as we did in the past, as though we died when he died,
we shall also live with him.

12Since we are also patiently enduring what we suffer,
we shall also rule with him.
But if we say that we do not know him,
he also will say that he does not know us.

13If we ◄are unfaithful/stop doing what he tells us to do►,
he will treat us just like he promised to do,
because he ◄can never be untrue to himself/always does what he says that he will do►.

Remind teachers about the things that I have told you and command them not to quarrel; and be sure that you yourself are the kind of person that God will approve of.

14Those whom you appointed to teach others God’s truth, keep reminding them about these things that I have told you. Tell them strongly that, since God knows what they are doing (OR, that God will judge them for everything that is wrong that they do, and therefore) they must not quarrel ◄about words/about matters that are not important►, because, when teachers quarrel, it helps no one, and because, when they quarrel, they spiritually destroy those who hear them (OR, they cause those who hear them to quit ◄being committed to Christ/believing in Christ►.)

15◄Do your best/Try hard► to be the kind of person that God will approve of. Be like a good worker as you teach the true message accurately. If a worker works well, he will not need to be ashamed of (OR, will be pleased about) what he does.

Have nothing to do with godless and foolish talk.

16◄Stay away from/Do not talk with► those who talk foolishly and ◄godlessly/say things that displease God►, because those who talk foolishly will become even more ◄ungodly/displeasing to God►,

17and because their message will harm people [SIM] like gangrene/cancer does. You know Hymenaeus and Philetus. They are two such people who talk in this manner.

18Specifically, they teach a wrong message; that is, they say wrongly that God will not cause dead people to live again because he has already given us spiritual life. They claim that our spiritual life is the only new life that we will receive. By saying that, they cause some people

19not to continue to believe in Christ. However, the congregations of God are strong [MET]. They are like a strong foundation on which is written: “The Lord knows the people who really belong to him,” and “Every person who calls Jesus [MTY] ‘Lord’ must stop doing wicked things”.

Avoid the bad things that some young people desire to do. Do good instead.

20In a wealthy person’s house there are not only utensils made of gold and of silver, but also utensils made of wood and of clay. The gold and silver utensils are used at special occasions/events, and the others are used at ordinary occasions. Similarly, in a congregation there are those who ◄are ready/desire► to do great things for the Lord Jesus, and there are those like the teachers of false doctrines/teachings who are not.

21Therefore, those who rid themselves of what is evil in their lives will be able to work well for the Lord. They will be like utensils [MET] used at special occasions, set apart for and especially useful to the owner of the big house. They will be like fine utensils that have been prepared {are ready} to do any kind of good work.

22Because of that, you (sg) must avoid doing the wrong actions that many young people desire to do. Instead, you must earnestly do right actions, believe the true teaching, love God and others, and you must continually be at peace with those who ask the Lord to help them and who are pure in every way (OR, who serve Jesus faithfully).

Do not discuss foolish questions but gently instruct those who oppose the true message.

23Do not talk with anyone who foolishly wants to argue about matters that are not important. Do not talk with them, because you know that when people talk about foolish things, they begin to quarrel.

24But those who serve the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, they should be kind to all people, they should be able to teach God’s truth well, and they should be patient with people.

25That is, they should gently instruct/teach people who oppose the true message. They should do that in order that perhaps God will cause others to completely change what they think, so that they may acknowledge/believe the true message.

26In that way they may get free from what is like [MET] a trap set by the devil. The devil has deceived them in order that they might do what he wants them to do.