1 1 From Paul to Timothy.
3-4 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, and I constantly pray for you, night and day.
9 We are saved by grace, not by works.
Salvation was given to us, according to God's purpose, before the world began.
10 Christ has abolished death and brought life and immortality through the gospel.
11 I am appointed an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles.
13 Listen to my words and obey them.
15 Everyone in Asia has deserted me, including Phygellus and Hermogenes.
2 8 Remember that Jesus is the seed of David, who was raised from the dead according to my gospel.
11 If we are dead with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we deny him, he'll deny us.
16 Shun profane and vain babblings.
17-18 Hymeneus and Philetus, for example, say that the resurrection of the dead has already happened, and some have lost faith because of them.
19 The Lord knows those that are his.
23 Avoid foolish questions, since these cause quarrels.
24 Be gentle and patient with everyone.
26 But watch out for the devil. He can capture you whenever he wants.
3 1-2 In the last days, people will love themselves, covet, boast, blaspheme, disobey their parents, be ungrateful, and unholy.
3 They will lack natural affection, accuse people falsely, be incontinent, fierce, and hate everything that is good.
4 They'll be traitors, heady, and high-minded, and will love pleasure more than God.
5 They'll seem holy but will deny its power. Stay away from them.
6 They'll cause silly women, filled with sin, to be carried away with lust.
7 Such women are always learning, but never know the truth.
8 As Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, they resist the truth. They are reprobates, with corrupt minds.
13 Evil people and seducers will get worse and worse, always deceiving and being deceived.
16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching doctrine and morals.
4 2-4 Keep preaching, because the time will come when people won't believe sound doctrine. They'll have itching ears, listening to those who encourage them to follow after their own lusts, believing in fables rather than the truth.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
8 So the Lord will give me a crown of righteousness when he appears on that day.
10 Demas has forsaken me.
14 Alexander did me much evil. The Lord will reward him according to his works.
15 You should watch out for him too. Because he disagreed with us.
16 When I was put on trial, everyone deserted me
17 But the Lord stood by me, and I was delivered from the lion's mouth.
8 As he will deliver me from every evil work, so I can enter his heavenly kingdom.
22 Amen.
In Exodus, there's a fun competition between Aaron and the Pharaoh's magicians. Aaron turns his rod into a snake, and the magicians do likewise (7:11). He turns the river into blood, and the magicians do that too (7:22). The same thing happens with frogs (8:7). But the magicians couldn't do Aaron's lice trick, at which point they gave up and told the Pharaoh that the lice were created by the finger of God (8:18-19).
The story in Exodus doesn't name Pharaoh's magicians, so the author of 2 Timothy must have got their names from another source. (Wikipedia: James and Jambres)
Because of this verse, Demas is sometimes called Paul's Judas.
Although a person named Demas is mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament (Philemon 24 and Colossians 4:14), nothing much is said about him. (Wikipedia: Demas)
God will "reward" Alexander for the "blasphemy" of disagreeing with "Paul".
See 1 Timothy 1:20 where Paul delivered Alexander to Satan to teach him not to blaspheme. (Wikipedia: Alexander the Coppersmith)
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