Timotheum Ii 2
1 Tu ergo fili mi, confortare in gratia, quæ est in Christo Jesu:
You must, then, my child, find strength in the help which comes from the union with Christ Jesus;
2 et quæ audisti a me per multos testes, hæc commenda fidelibus hominibus, qui idonei erant et alios docere.
and what you learnt from me, in the presence of many listeners, entrust to reliable people, who will be able in their turn to teach others.
3 Labora sicut bonus miles Christi Jesu.
Share hardships with me, as a true soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 Nemo militans Deo implicat se negotiis sæcularibus: ut ei placeat, cui se probavit.
A soldier on active service, to please his superior officer, always avoids entangling himself in the affairs of ordinary life.
5 Nam et qui certat in agone, non coronatur nisi legitime certaverit.
No athlete is ever awarded the wreath of victory unless they have kept the rules.
6 Laborantem agricolam oportet primum de fructibus percipere.
The labourer who does the work should be the first to receive a share of the fruits of the earth.
7 Intellige quæ dico: dabit enim tibi Dominus in omnibus intellectum.
Reflect on what I say; the Lord will always help you to understand.
8 Memor esto Dominum Jesum Christum resurrexisse a mortuis ex semine David, secundum Evangelium meum,
Keep before your mind Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David, as told in the good news entrusted to me;
9 in quo laboro usque ad vincula, quasi male operans: sed verbum Dei non est alligatum.
in the service of which I am suffering hardships, even to being put in fetters as a criminal. But the message of God is not fettered;
10 Ideo omnia sustineo propter electos, ut et ipsi salutem consequantur, quæ est in Christo Jesu, cum gloria cælesti. (aiōnios g166)
and that is why I submit to anything for the sake of God’s people: so that they also may obtain the salvation which comes from union with Christ Jesus, and imperishable glory. (aiōnios g166)
11 Fidelis sermo: nam si commortui sumus, et convivemus:
How true this saying is – “If we have shared his death, we will also share his life.
12 si sustinebimus, et conregnabimus: si negaverimus, et ille negabit nos:
If we continue to endure, we will also share his throne. If we should ever disown him, he, too, will disown us.
13 si non credimus, ille fidelis permanet, negare seipsum non potest.
If we lose our trust, he is still to be trusted, for he cannot be false to himself!”
14 Hæc commone, testificans coram Domino. Noli contendere verbis: ad nihil enim utile est, nisi ad subversionem audientium.
Remind people of all this; tell them solemnly, as in the sight of God, to avoid controversy, a useless thing and the ruin of those who listen to it.
15 Sollicite cura teipsum probabilem exhibere Deo, operarium inconfusibilem, recte tractantem verbum veritatis.
Do your utmost to show yourself true to God, a worker with no reason to be ashamed, accurate in delivering the message of the truth.
16 Profana autem et vaniloquia devita: multum enim proficiunt ad impietatem:
Avoid profane prattle. Those who indulge in it only get deeper into irreligious ways,
17 et sermo eorum ut cancer serpit: ex quibus est Hymenæus et Philetus,
and their teaching will spread like a cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are instances of this.
18 qui a veritate exciderunt, dicentes resurrectionem esse jam factam, et subverterunt quorumdam fidem.
They have gone completely astray as regards the truth; they say that a resurrection has already taken place, and so upset some people’s faith.
19 Sed firmum fundamentum Dei stat, habens signaculum hoc: cognovit Dominus qui sunt ejus, et discedat ab iniquitate omnis qui nominat nomen Domini.
Yet God’s firm foundation still stands unmoved, and it bears this inscription – “THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS”; and this – “LET ALL THOSE WHO USE THE NAME OF THE LORD TURN AWAY FROM WICKEDNESS.”
20 In magna autem domo non solum sunt vasa aurea, et argentea, sed et lignea, et fictilia: et quædam quidem in honorem, quædam autem in contumeliam.
Now in a large house there are not only things of gold and silver, but also others of wood and earthenware, some for better and some for common use.
21 Si quis ergo emundaverit se ab istis, erit vas in honorem sanctificatum, et utile Domino ad omne opus bonum paratum.
If, then, a person has escaped from the pollution of such errors as I have mentioned, they will be like a thing kept for better use, set apart, serviceable to its owner, ready for any good purpose.
22 Juvenilia autem desideria fuge, sectare vero justitiam, fidem, spem, caritatem, et pacem cum iis qui invocant Dominum de corde puro.
Flee from the passions of youth, but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, in the company of those who, with a pure heart, invoke the Lord.
23 Stultas autem et sine disciplina quæstiones devita: sciens quia generant lites.
Shun foolish and ignorant discussions, for you know that they only breed quarrels;
24 Servum autem Domini non oportet litigare: sed mansuetum esse ad omnes, docibilem, patientem,
and a servant of the Lord should never quarrel. They ought, on the contrary, to be courteous to everyone, skilful teachers, and forbearing.
25 cum modestia corripientem eos qui resistunt veritati, nequando Deus det illis pœnitentiam ad cognoscendam veritatem,
They should instruct their opponents in a gentle spirit; for, possibly, God may give those opponents a repentance that will lead to a fuller knowledge of truth,
26 et resipiscant a diaboli laqueis, a quo captivi tenentur ad ipsius voluntatem.
and they may yet come to a sober mind, and escape from the devil’s net, when captured by the Lord’s servant to do the will of God.
