The Book of 2 Timothy

Paul's final, deeply personal letter, written from prison before his death.

Written from a Roman prison cell as Paul awaited execution, Second Timothy is the most personal of all his letters, a farewell charge urging his beloved protege to remain faithful despite hardship and desertion. Its four chapters carry the weight of a mentor passing the torch to the next generation of gospel workers. Start reading at 2 Timothy chapter 1.


About 2 Timothy

Second Timothy is the fifty-fifth book of the Bible, written by the apostle Paul around AD 66-67 during his second Roman imprisonment -- his final letter before his martyrdom -- and spanning 4 chapters. It is the most personal and poignant of all Paul's letters, written to his beloved son in the faith Timothy, urging him to come quickly and to remain faithful in the ministry despite the desertion of many, the dangers of false teaching, and the hardships of gospel ministry. Paul writes with the urgency of a man who knows he is about to die, passing on his final charge to the next generation of gospel workers. Major themes include courageous faithfulness in gospel ministry despite suffering and opposition, the centrality of scripture as the foundation for preaching and teaching, the trustworthiness of God to preserve His people and His gospel, guarding the deposit of sound teaching, and the certainty of eternal reward for those who persevere. Key chapters include 2 Timothy 3 (all scripture is God-breathed) and 2 Timothy 4 (Paul's final charge and farewell). Famous verses include 2 Timothy 3:16-17 -- All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness -- and 2 Timothy 4:7 -- I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Second Timothy KJV Bible reading is one of the most moving documents in all of Christian literature. Read the Book of 2 Timothy online here in full.

Its declaration that all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching remains the New Testament's clearest statement on the authority of the Bible itself. Paired with Paul's other letters such as <a href="/bible/chiun/1-corinthians">1 Corinthians</a> and <a href="/bible/chiun/romans">Romans</a>, it shows the consistency of his gospel across three decades of ministry.