The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ.
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You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
2 Pass on what you heard from me - the whole congregation saying Amen! - to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others.
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and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did.
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Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 A soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders.
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No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
5 An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere.
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An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6 It's the diligent farmer who gets the produce.
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It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
7 Think it over. God will make it all plain.
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Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It's what you've heard from me all along.
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Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
9 It's what I'm sitting in jail for right now - but God's Word isn't in jail!
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for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
10 That's why I stick it out here - so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory.
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Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 This is a sure thing: If we die with him, we'll live with him;
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The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 If we stick it out with him, we'll rule with him; If we turn our backs on him, he'll turn his back on us;
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if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 If we give up on him, he does not give up - for there's no way he can be false to himself.
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if we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself.
14 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out.
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Remind them of these things, and charge them before Godnot to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
15 Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.
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Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
16 Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life,
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But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,
17 they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples,
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and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.
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who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
19 Meanwhile, God's firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones: God knows who belongs to him. spurn evil, all you who name god as god.
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But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
20 In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets - some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage.
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Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
21 Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.
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Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
22 Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness - faith, love, peace - joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God.
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So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights.
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Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
24 God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool,
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And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth,
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correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.
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and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.