¹ As for you, my dear son, take strength from the grace which is in Christ Jesus.

² Pass on to reliable people what you have heard from me through many witnesses so that they in turn will be able to teach others.

³ Bear with your share of difficulties, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

⁴ No one on active service involves himself in the affairs of civilian life, because he must win the approval of the man who enlisted him;

⁵ or again someone who enters an athletic contest wins only by competing in the sports -- a prize can be won only by competing according to the rules;

⁶ and again, it is the farmer who works hard that has the first claim on any crop that is harvested.

⁷ Think over what I have said, and the Lord will give you full understanding.

⁸ Remember the gospel that I carry, 'Jesus Christ risen from the dead, sprung from the race of David';

⁹ it is on account of this that I have to put up with suffering, even to being chained like a criminal. But God's message cannot be chained up.

¹⁰ So I persevere for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they, too, may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

¹¹ Here is a saying that you can rely on: If we have died with him, then we shall live with him.

¹² If we persevere, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us.

¹³ If we are faithless, he is faithful still, for he cannot disown his own self.

¹⁴ Remind them of this; and tell them in the name of God that there must be no wrangling about words: all that this ever achieves is the destruction of those who are listening.

¹⁵ Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who has no need to be ashamed, but who keeps the message of truth on a straight path.

¹⁶ Have nothing to do with godless philosophical discussions -- they only lead further and further away from true religion.

¹⁷ Talk of this kind spreads corruption like gangrene, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus,

¹⁸ the men who have gone astray from the truth, claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting some people's faith.

¹⁹ However, God's solid foundation-stone stands firm, and this is the seal on it: 'The Lord knows those who are his own' and 'All who call on the name of the Lord must avoid evil.'

²⁰ Not all the dishes in a large house are made of gold and silver; some are made of wood or earthenware: the former are held in honour, the latter held cheap.

²¹ If someone holds himself aloof from these faults I speak of, he will be a vessel held in honour, dedicated and fit for the Master, ready for any good work.

²² Turn away from the passions of youth, concentrate on uprightness, faith, love and peace, in union with all those who call on the Lord with a pure heart.

²³ Avoid these foolish and undisciplined speculations, understanding that they only give rise to quarrels;

²⁴ and a servant of the Lord must not engage in quarrels, but must be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient.

²⁵ He must be gentle when he corrects people who oppose him, in the hope that God may give them a change of mind so that they recognise the truth

²⁶ and come to their senses, escaping the trap of the devil who made them his captives and subjected them to his will.

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The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) has become the most widely used Roman Catholic Bible outside of the United States. It has the imprimatur of Cardinal George Basil Hume.

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) version is translated "directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic." The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jerusalem, is followed only "where the text admits to more than one interpretation." Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jerusalem.

Source: The Very Reverend Dom (Joseph) Henry Wansbrough, OSB, MA (Oxon), STL (Fribourg), LSS (Rome), a monk of Ampleforth Abbey and a biblical scholar. He was General Editor of the New Jerusalem Bible. "New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition", pg. v.

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