2 Timothy 4:5 (ASV)

Passage

But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;

2 Timothy 4:4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.

2 Timothy 4:5 But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.

2 Timothy 4:6 For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "thou", "sober", "suffer", "hardship", "evangelist", "fulfil", and "ministry". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "and will turn away their ears from..." into verse 6's "For I am already being offered and...", so "all things" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.