4
Keep on telling people God’s word
1 You know, Jesus Christ will come back, and he will judge everyone. He will judge everyone that is alive at that time, and everyone that is already dead. So listen to what I’m telling you now. God and Jesus Christ are also listening to what I’m saying. It is this.
2 You’ve got to tell people God’s word. You have to be ready to tell it at any time, no matter if it seems to be the right time or not. Teach it carefully to people, and be ready to wait for them to understand it. If they are going wrong, show them the right way to live, and help them to live that way. If they are going the right way, say good words to them to help them to keep going strong.
3 You see, people are getting less interested in true stories. One day, they will not listen to good people that teach the true message, but instead they will listen to somebody that says strange things. And they will find teachers that will just say whatever people want to hear.
4 Those people will stop listening to the true story, and instead they will listen to stories that are all lies.
5 Don’t be like those people. You have to control yourself all the time, no matter what happens to you. If they get tough on you, don’t get upset, just keep going. You have to keep on telling people the good news about Jesus, and you have to finish all the work that he gave you to do.
6 As for me, the time has come for me to leave my life here on earth, so I will die some time soon. I will give my life to God.
7 I did my job properly, and I finished all the work God gave me to do. I always told the true message about Jesus. I’m like a man that runs a long race and keeps going hard right up to the finish line.
8 I followed Jesus all the way, and very soon he will give me a prize, like a sportsman gets a medal after he wins. Jesus will make me properly good, that will be my prize. Jesus, our leader, is a fair judge, and he has got that prize ready to give me on the day that he comes back. And not just to me. He will give that prize to everybody that wants him to come back again, he will make them all properly good.
Paul wanted Timothy to come to him
9 Timothy, please come and see me as soon as you can.
10-12 Almost all my friends went away to somewhere else. Demas just likes the things of this life, so he left me and went to Thessalonica. Crescens went to Galatia country, and Titus went to Dalmatia country. And I told Tikicus to go to Ephesus. Only Luke is here with me now. If Mark was here, he could help me a lot in my work, so get him and bring him with you.
13 You will probably go through Troas as you come to me here. When I was in Troas, I left a coat there with Carpus. So I want you to get that coat and bring it with you. And bring my books too. I especially want those leather books.
14 Remember that man called Alexander, that makes things out of metal. He gave me a lot of trouble, and he really hurt me. But I will leave it to our leader, Jesus, to punish him for that.
15 You look out for him too. He doesn’t like the message we tell people about God, and he will try to do anything to stop us.
16 And here, in this city, when they took me to court that first time, and I tried to tell the judge my story, nobody else said anything to back me up. They all left me. I hope God will not punish them for that.
17 But God stood there beside me, and he made me strong, so that I could tell his message properly to everybody in that court. Those people there were not Jews, so maybe that was the first time they heard about God. In the end the judge didn’t sentence me to death, so they didn’t give me to the lions to eat.
18 And God will always look after me, no matter what bad things people do to try to hurt me, and he will take me up into heaven to be with him in his family. Everybody has to praise him and say that he is great, for ever and ever. Yes, that’s right.
The last words Paul wrote
19 Now I want you to say hello from me to Aquila and Priscilla. And say hello also to Onesiforus and everyone at his place.
20 And I’ll tell you about 2 of the men that were with me. Erastus is not with me now, he stayed in Corinth. And Trofimus was with me at Miletus, but he got sick, so I had to leave him there until he gets better.
21 By the way, I want you to try to get here before the cold weather time comes.
All the Christians here say hello to you, especially Yubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia.
22 That’s all. I pray that our leader, Jesus, will be with your spirit, and that he will be really good to you.
From Paul