It is assumed in the letter that Timothy was in Ephesus and that Paul was in Rome. So now Paul wants Timothy to make every effort to join him in Rome because, except for Luke, everyone had left Paul. For Do your best see 2 Tim 2.15. The verb means “to make every effort.” Soon is literally “quickly,” which in the present context means “in the shortest time possible.” See further on “hasty” in 1 Tim 5.22. In some languages this sentence will be best translated as “You must come to see me as soon as possible.”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .