Do Not Be Ashamed
Paul urges Timothy not to be embarrassed by Paul's imprisonment or by the message, to guard the good deposit entrusted to him, and to be ready to suffer. He names both those who have deserted him and those who have helped.
A personal, valedictory letter attributed to Paul near the end of his life.
Second Timothy is written as if from prison, with Paul expecting execution. It is the most personal of the Pastoral Epistles, mixing affection, warning, and requests.
Paul urges Timothy not to be embarrassed by Paul's imprisonment or by the message, to guard the good deposit entrusted to him, and to be ready to suffer. He names both those who have deserted him and those who have helped.
Paul tells Timothy to be strong and to pass the teaching on to others who can teach in turn. He warns that opposition and moral decline will continue and that anyone committed to this life should expect difficulty.
The closing lines are strikingly ordinary: bring the cloak left at Troas, and the books. Paul says he has finished the race, lists who has abandoned or opposed him, and sends greetings, ending on a note of isolation.