¹ Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I charge you, in the name of his appearing and of his kingdom:

² proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement -- but do all with patience and with care to instruct.

³ The time is sure to come when people will not accept sound teaching, but their ears will be itching for anything new and they will collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes;

⁴ and then they will shut their ears to the truth and will turn to myths.

⁵ But you must keep steady all the time; put up with suffering; do the work of preaching the gospel; fulfil the service asked of you.

⁶ As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to depart.

⁷ I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith;

⁸ all there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the Lord, the upright judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.

⁹ Make every effort to come and see me as soon as you can.

¹⁰ As it is, Demas has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonica, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia;

¹¹ only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you; I find him a useful helper in my work.

¹² I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.

¹³ When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, and the scrolls, especially the parchment ones.

¹⁴ Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm; the Lord will repay him as his deeds deserve.

¹⁵ Be on your guard against him yourself, because he has been bitterly contesting everything that we say.

¹⁶ The first time I had to present my defence, no one came into court to support me. Every one of them deserted me -- may they not be held accountable for it.

¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed for all the gentiles to hear; and so I was saved from the lion's mouth.

¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹ Greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and the family of Onesiphorus.

²⁰ Erastus stayed behind at Corinth, and I left Trophimus ill at Miletus.

²¹ Make every effort to come before the winter. Greetings to you from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brothers.

²² The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.