1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2. to Timothy, my true child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. Just as I urged you when I traveled to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus, so that you may instruct certain people not to teach other doctrine,
4. and not to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause useless speculations rather than God’s plan that is by faith.
5. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith without hypocrisy,
6. from which some have deviated, and have turned away into fruitless discussion,
7. wanting to be teachers of the law, although they do not understand either the things which they are saying or the things concerning which they are speaking confidently.
8. But we know that the law is good, if anyone makes use of it lawfully,
9. knowing this, that the law is not given for a righteous person but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and totally worldly, for the one who kills his father and the one who kills his mother, for murderers,
10. sexually immoral people, homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to sound teaching,
11. according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God that I was entrusted with.
12. I give thanks to the one who strengthens me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful, placing me into ministry,
13. although I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, but I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief,