4 ¹Before God and Jesus Christ I give you a command. Christ Jesus is the One who will judge the people who are living and the people who have died. Jesus has a kingdom, and he is coming again. So I give you this command: ²Tell people the Good News.* Be ready at all times. Tell people the things they need to do, tell them when they are wrong, and encourage them. Do these things with great patience and careful teaching. ³The time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching. But people will find more and more teachers that please them. People will find teachers that say the things those people want to hear. ⁴People will stop listening to the truth. They will begin to follow the teaching in false stories. ⁵But you should control yourself at all times. When troubles come, accept those troubles. Do the work of telling the Good News. Do all the duties of a servant of God. ⁶My life is being given as an offering for God. The time has come for me to leave this life here. ⁷I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. ⁸Now, a crown (reward) is waiting for me. I will get that crown for being right with God. The Lord is the judge who judges rightly. He will give me the crown on that Day.* Yes! He will give that crown to me. He will give that crown to all people who have wanted him to come again and have waited for him.

Personal Words

⁹Do your best to come to me as soon as you can. ¹⁰Demas loved this world too much. That is why he left me. He went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia. And Titus went to Dalmatia. ¹¹Luke is the only one still with me. Get Mark and bring him with you when you come. He can help me in my work here. ¹²I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. ¹³When I was in Troas, I left my coat there with Carpus. So when you come, bring it to me. Also, bring my books. The books written on parchment* are the ones I need. ¹⁴Alexander the metalworker did many bad things against me. The Lord will punish Alexander for the things he did. ¹⁵You should be careful that he doesn't hurt you too. He fought strongly against our teaching. ¹⁶The first time I defended myself, no person helped me. Every person left me. I pray that God will forgive them. ¹⁷But the Lord stayed with me. The Lord gave me strength so that I could fully tell the Good News* to the non-Jews. The Lord wanted all the non-Jews to hear that Good News. I was saved from the lion's (enemy's) mouth. ¹⁸The Lord will save me when any person tries to hurt me. The Lord will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord's.

Final Greetings

¹⁹Say hello to Priscilla and Aquila and to the family of Onesiphorus. ²⁰Erastus stayed in Corinth. And I left Trophimus in Miletus--he was sick. ²¹Try as hard as you can to come to me before winter. Eubulus says hello to you. Also Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers in Christ say hello to you. ²²The Lord be with your spirit. Grace (kindness) be with you.

Good News The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. Day The day Christ will come to judge all people and take his people to live with him. parchment Something like paper made from the skins of sheep and used for writing on.