3:12a

Indeed: The phrase Indeed is how the Berean Standard Bible translates the two Greek conjunctions de and kai which occur together here. Paul had more to say about persecution. After reminding Timothy that he had suffered for the Lord, he used these words to introduce a general statement about suffering.

You have at least two options for translating these Greek words here:

• Choose a conjunction or grammatical feature in your language that would indicate that Paul was introducing a general statement. Another phrase in English similar to Indeed is “in fact.”

• Leave the words untranslated, as do the Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, and New Century Version.

godly lives: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as godly also means “devout,” “pious,” or “religious.” All who live godly lives are those who submit themselves to God and act in ways that please God. Some ways to translate godly lives are: “live/act in a way that pleases God” or “do that which pleases God.”

in Christ Jesus: The phrase in Christ Jesus refers to those who “believe in Christ Jesus.” This phrase further defines the group of people who will be persecuted (3:12b). Those who will be persecuted are those who want to live a godly life and who believe in Christ Jesus.

Christ Jesus: Notice that in this verse Paul referred to Jesus as Christ Jesus instead of “Jesus Christ.” The names Christ Jesus and “Jesus Christ” mean the same thing. In most English translations and other national language translations, “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” are translated literally and in the same order as they occur in the Greek manuscripts. It is recommended that you do the same thing. However, if the people who will be reading your translation might be confused when they see two different word orders of the names, you may decide to translate Christ Jesus as “Jesus Christ,” which is the more familiar word order.

3:12b

will be persecuted: The Greek verb is passive, as the Berean Standard Bible shows. If you need to make the verb active, you can say something similar to this:

Indeed, people will persecute everyone who desires to live a godly life….

If you use an active verb, be sure that the emphasis remains on the word “everyone,” not on the clause “people will persecute.” The second Meaning Line in the Display gives another example of how you can change the passive verb into an active one.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.