Chap. I. Paul exhorteth Timothy to stedfastnesse and pacience in persecucion, and to continue in the doctryne that he had taught him. A commendacion of Onesiphorus.

Chap. II. Like as in the first chapter, so here he exhorteth him to be constant in trouble, to suffre manly, and to byde fast in the wholsome doctrine of oure LORDE Iesus Christ.

Chap. III. He prophecieth of the parelous tymes, setteth out ypocrites in their culours, telleth vs what they be within, for all their fayre faces outwardly. Persecucion for the gospell.

Chap. IIII. He exhorteth Timothy to be feru&ebar;t in the worde, and to suffre aduersite: maketh mension of his awne death, and byddeth Timothy come vnto him. The first Chapter.

A   Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ, by the wyll of God, to preach the promes of þe; life which is in Christ Iesu.

To my deare sonne Timotheus.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the father and from Christ Iesu oure LORDE.

I thanke God, ^note whome I serue fro my fore elders in a pure conscience, that without ceassynge I make mencion of the in my prayers night and daye: and longe to se the (whan I remembre thy teares) so that I am fylled with ioye, whan I call to remembraunce the vnfayned faith that is in the, which dwelt first in thy graundemother Lois, and in thy mother Eunica: And

am assured, that it dwelleth in þe; also. Wherfore I warne the, that thou stere vp þe; gifte of God which is in the by puttynge on of my handes. ^noteFor God hath not geuen vs the sprete of feare, but of power, and of loue, and of right vnderstondynge.

B    ^noteBe not thou a&esset;hamed therfore of þe; testimony of o&highr; LORDE, nether of me, ^note which am his presoner: but suffre thou aduersite also &wt; the Gospell, acordinge to the power of God ^note which hath saued vs, and called vs with an holy callynge: not acordinge to oure dedes, but acordinge to his owne purpose and grace, which was geuen vs in Christ Iesu before the tyme of the worlde, but is now declared openly by the appearynge of oure Sauioure Iesu Christ. ^noteWhich hath taken awaye þe; power of death, and hath brought life and immortalite vnto lighte, thorow the Gospell: ^note whervnto I am appoynted a preacher and an Apostell, and a teacher of the Heythen: for the which cause I also suffre these thinges, neuertheles I am not ashamed. For I knowe whom I haue beleued, and am sure that he is able to kepe that which I haue commytted vnto his kepynge agaynst that daye.

C    ^noteHolde the after þe; ensample of the wholsome wordes, which thou heardest of me, concernynge faith and loue in Christ Iesu. This hye charge kepe thou thorow the holy goost, which dwelleth in vs. This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia, be turned fro me, of which sorte are Phigelus and Hermogenes. The LORDE geue mercy vnto the house of ^note Onesiphorus: for he oft refre&esset;hed me, and was not a&esset;hamed of my cheyne: but whan he was at Rome ^note he soughte me out very diligently, and founde me. The LORDE graunte vnto him, that he maye fynde mercy with the LORDE in that daye. And how moch he mynistred vnto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. The II. Chapter.

A   Thou therfore my sonne, be stronge thorow the grace which is in Christ Iesu. And what thinges thou hast herde of me by many witnesses, ^note the same commytte thou vnto faithfull men, which are apte to teach other. Thou therfore suffre affliccion as a good soudyer off Iesu Christ. No m&abar; that warreth, tangleth him selfe with wordly busynesses, ∧ that because he wolde please him, which hath chosen him to be a soudyer. And though a man stryue for a mastrye, yet is he not crowned, excepte he stryue laufully. ^noteThe hu&esset;bandman that laboureth, must first enioye the frutes. Consydre what I saye. The LORDE shal geue the vnderstondynge in all thinges.

Remembre that Iesus Christ, beynge ^note of the sede of Dauid, rose agayne fr&obar; the deed, acordynge to my Gospell, where in I suffre as an euell doer euen vnto bandes: but the worde of God is not bounde. ^noteTherfore suffre I all for the electes sakes, that they also mighte optayne the saluacion in Christ Iesu with eternall glory.

B   This is a true sayenge: ^note Yf we be deed &wt; him, we shal lyue with him also: ^note Yf we be pacient, we shal also raigne with him: ^note Yf we denye him, he also shal denye vs: ^note Yf we beleue not, yet abydeth he faithfull, he can not denye himselfe. Of these thinges put thou them in rem&ebar;braunce, and testifye before the LORDE, that they stryue not aboute wordes, which is to no profit, but to peruerte the hearers.

Study to shewe thy selfe vnto God a laudable workman, that nedeth not to be ashamed, deuydynge the worde of trueth iustly. ^noteAs for vngoostly and vayne talkynges, eschue them: for they helpe moch to vngodlynes, and their worde fretteth as doth a canker: Of whose nombre is ^note Hymeneos ∧ Philetus, which as concernynge the trueth haue erred, sayenge, that the resurreccion is past allready, and haue destroyed the faith of dyuerse personnes.

C   But þe; sure grounde of God stondeth fast, and hath this seale: ^note The LORDE knoweth them that are his, and let euery m&abar; that calleth vpon the name of Christ, departe from iniquyte. Not withstondynge ^note in a greate house are not onely vessels of golde and of syluer, but also of wod and of earth: some for honoure, and some to dishonoure. But yf a man pourge himselfe from soch felowes, he shalbe a vessell sanctified vnto honoure, mete for the LORDE, and prepared vnto all good workes. ^noteFle thou the lustes of youth, but folowe righteousnes, faith, loue, peace, with all them that call vpon the LORDE with pure hert. ^noteAs for folish questions and soch as teach not, put them fr&obar; the: for thou knowest that they do but g&ebar;der stryfe. The seruaunt of the LORDE ought not to stryue, but to be gentle vnto euery man: ^note apte to teach, one that can forbeare the euell, one þt; can ^note with mekenesse enfourme them þt; resist: yf God at eny tyme wyl geue them repentaunce for to knowe the trueth, and to turne agayne from the snare of the deuell, which are holden in preson of him at his will.

The III. Chapter.

A    ^noteBvt this shalt thou knowe, that in the last dayes shal come parelous tymes. For there shalbe m&ebar; which shal holde of th&ebar; selues, couetous, boasters, proude, cursed speakers, dishobedient to their elders, vnthankfull, vngoostly, vnkynde, truce breakers, false accusers, ryatours, fearce, despysers of them which are good, traytours, heady, hye mynded, gredy vpon voluptuousnes more then the louers of God, hauynge a shyne off godly lyuynge, but denyenge the power therof. And soch avoyde. ^noteOf this sorte are they which r&ubar;ne fr&obar; house to house, ∧ brynge in to bondage wem&ebar; lad&ebar; &wt; synne: which (wemen) are led with dyuerse lustes, euer lernynge, and are neuer able to come vnto the knowlege of the trueth.

^noteBut like as Iamnes and I&abar;bres withstode Moses, euen so do these also resist the trueth: m&ebar; they are of corrupte myndes, and lewde as c&obar;cernynge þe; faith: but they shal preuayle no longer. For their folishnes shalbe manifest vnto all men, as theirs was.

But thou hast sene the experience of my doctryne, my fa&esset;hion of lyuynge, my purpose, my faith, my longsufferynge, my loue, my pacience, my persecucions, my affliccions, which happened vnto me ^note at Antioche, at Iconium, at Lystra, which persecucions I suffred paciently, and from th&ebar; all the LORDE delyuered me. ^noteYee and all they that wil lyue godly in Christ Iesu, must suffre persecucion. But the euell men and disceauers shal waxe worse and worse, disceauynge and beynge disceaued.

^noteBut contynue thou in the thinges that thou hast lerned, which also were c&obar;mytted vnto the, seynge thou knowest of wh&obar; thou hast learned them, And for so moch as thou hast knowne holy scripture of a childe, the same is able to make þe; wyse vnto saluacion thorow the faith in Christ Iesu. ^noteFor all scripture geu&ebar; by inspiracion of God, is profitable to teach, to improue, to amende, and to instructe in righteousnes, that a man off God maye be perfecte, and prepared vnto all good workes. The IIII. Chapter.

A   I testifye therfore before God ∧ before the LORDE Iesu Christ, which shal come to iudge the lyuynge and the deed, at his appearynge in his kyngdome: Preach thou the worde, be feruent, be it in season or out of season: Improue, rebuke, exhorte with all longe sufferynge and doctryne. For the tyme wil come, whan they shal not suffre wholsome doctryne, but after their awne lustes shal they (whose eares ytche) get them an heape of teachers, and shal turne their eares from the trueth, and shalbe geuen vnto fables. But watch thou in all thinges, suffre aduersite, do the worke of a preacher of the Gospell, fulfyll thine office vnto the vttemost.

^noteFor I am now ready to be offered, and the tyme of my departinge is at honde. I haue foughte a good fighte: I haue fulfylled the course: I haue kepte the faith. B   From hence forth there is layed vp for me a ^note crowne of righteousnes, which the LORDE the righteous iudge shal geue me in þt; daye: Howbeit not vnto me onely, but vnto all them that loue his c&obar;mynge. Make spede to come vnto me atonce.

For ^note Demas hath lefte me, and loueth this present worlde, and is departed vnto Tessalonica, Crescens in to Galacia, Titus vnto Dalmacia, Onely Lucas is with me. Take ^note Marke, ∧ brynge him with the: for he is profitable vnto me to the mynistracion. Tichicus haue I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I lefte at Troada with Carpus brynge with the whan thou commest: and the bokes, but specially the parchem&ebar;t. ^noteAlex&abar;der the coppersmyth dyd me moch euell, the LORDE rewarde him acordynge to his dedes, of whom be thou ware also. For he withstode oure wordes sore.

C   In my first answerynge no man assisted me, but all forsoke me. I praye God that it be not layed to their charges. Notwitstondynge the LORDE stode by me, ∧ str&ebar;gthed me, that by me the preachinge shulde be fulfylled to the vttemost, and that all the Heyth&ebar; shulde heare. And I was delyuered out of the mouth of the lyon. And the LORDE shal delyuer me from all euell doynge, and shal kepe me vnto his heauenly kyngdome. To whom be prayse for euer and euer, Amen.

Salute Prisca and ^note Aquila, and þe; hou&esset;holde of Onesiphorus. ^noteErastus abode at Corinthum. But ^note Trophimus left I sicke at Milet&ubar;. Make spede to come before wynter. Eubolus, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren salute the. The LORDE Iesus Christ be with thy sprete. Grace be with you, Amen. The seconde epistle vnto Timothy, wrytten from Rome, wh&abar; Paul was presented the seconde tyme before the Emperoure Nero.

Previous section

Next section