[2:1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
[2:2] and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
[2:3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
[2:4] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
[2:5] An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
[2:6] It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
[2:7] Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
[2:8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
[2:9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
[2:10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
[2:11] The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
[2:12] if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
[2:13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.