2 Timothy

2 Timothy is Paul's last known letter, written from prison in Rome, probably shortly before his execution. The tone is one of farewell: he speaks of loneliness, asks Timothy to come before winter and to bring his books and his cloak. Even so, the content is encouraging. Paul asks Timothy to guard what he received, not to be ashamed of the gospel and to preach the Word "in season and out of season". Here is the most quoted verse about Scripture: "every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching". The closing is one of the most moving passages in the New Testament: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith".