22 Shun youthful desires, and follow righteousness, faithfulness, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and unprofitable questions, because you know that they produce contentions: and the servant of the Lord must not be contentious, but gentle toward all men, able to teach, patient under evils, 25 in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves, if, possibly, God may give them repentance in order to the acknowledgment of the truth, 26 and that they may awake to sobriety out of the snare of the devil, after having been taken captive by him according to his will.

III. 'But know this, that in the last days trying times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, false accusers, intemperate, fierce, haters of those who are good, traitors, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, 3 having a form of godliness, but denying its power: from these also turn away. For of this sort are those who worm themselves into houses, and lead captive silly women that are laden with sins, and influenced by various desires, that are always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so these also will withstand the truth; men corrupt in mind, rejected as it respects the faith. But they shall proceed no further; for their madness shall be manifest to all, as was the madness of those men.

10 But you have fully known my teaching, my course of life, my purpose, my faithfulness, my long-suffering, my love, my patience, my persecutions, my sufferings which came upon me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra; you well know what perse

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cutions I endured: and yet out of them all, the Lord delivered me. 12 And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will become worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But do you continue in the things which you have learned and well understood, knowing from whom you learned them, 15 and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise in order to salvation, through faith that is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for every good work.

IV. I charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, 2 preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound teaching, but according to their own desires they will procure for themselves an abundance of teachers to gratify their itching ears and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned to fables. But do you be watchful in all things, endure evil, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

6 For I am now ready to be poured out, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all those who love his appearing.

Endeavor to come to me shortly; 10 for Demas has forsaken

me, having loved the present age; and he has gone to Thessa lonica, Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. "Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for the ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left in Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord repay him according to his works. 15 Do you, also, beware of him, for he has greatly withstood our words.

16 At my first defense no one stood by me, but all forsook me; may it not be laid to their charge: 17 but the Lord stood by me, and gave me strength, that through me that which is preached might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory from age to age. Amen.

19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth. I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 21 Endeavor to come to me before winter. Eubulus and Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren salute you. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you all. Amen.

I. 1

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AUL, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

PAU
according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowl-

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edgement of the truth, which is according to godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, who can not lie, promised before the times of the ages, but he has in his own times manifested his word by preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; to Titus, my true son, according to the common faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. I left you in Crete for this purpose, that you might set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I commanded you: if any one is blameless, the husband of one wife, if he has faithful children that are not accused of riotous living, or disobedient. For the bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not passionate, not fond of wine, not quarrelsome, not one who makes money by base means; but hospitable, a lover of goodness, sober-minded, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the sure word as it is taught, that he may be able, by sound teaching, both to exhort and to convince the opposers.

10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped: these subvert whole houses by teaching, for the sake of base gain, things which they ought not to teach. 12 One of

themselves, a prophet of their own, has said: The Cretans are always liars, evil wild beasts, lazy gluttons. 13 This testimony is true; wherefore rebuke them severely, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 and not give heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men that turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure: but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess that they know God, but in their works they deny him, being detestable and disobedient, and, as it respects every good work, rejected.

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II. 'But do you speak the things that become sound teaching; that the aged men be vigilant, grave, sober-minded, sound in faith, in love, in patience; that the aged women likewise be, in deportment, as it becomes holy women, not slanderers, not enslaved to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be sober-minded, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, fond of home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not reviled.

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Exhort the young men likewise to be sober-minded, 'in all things showing yourself an example of good works; in teaching, showing incorruptness, gravity, sound speech that can not be condemned; that he that is opposed may be ashamed, seeing he has no evil thing to say of us.

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Exhort servants to be subject to their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not contradicting, 10 not stealing, but showing all good faithfulness, that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in all things.

"For the grace of God, which brings salvation to all men, has appeared, 12 teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly