2 Timothy 1:8 (DRB)

Passage

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of God.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 1:6 For which cause I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God which is in thee by the imposition of my hands.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power and of love and of sobriety.

2 Timothy 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but labour with the gospel, according to the power of God.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath delivered us and called us by his holy calling, not according to our own works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the times of the world:

2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the illumination of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath destroyed death and hath brought to light life and incorruption by the gospel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "therefore", "ashamed", "testimony", "lord", "prisoner", "labour", and "gospel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "For God hath not given us the..." into verse 9's "Who hath delivered us and called us...", so "thou" and "therefore" 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 "thou" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.