2 Timothy 3

Difficult Times Ahead

¹But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. ^{a 2}For people will be lovers of self, ^b lovers of money, ^c boastful, proud, ^d demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, ^{e 3}unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, ^f without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, ^{g 4}traitors, ^h reckless, ⁱ conceited, ^j lovers of pleasure ^k rather than lovers of God, ⁵holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. ^l Avoid these people. ^m

⁶For among them are those who worm their way into households and deceive gullible women overwhelmed by sins and led astray by a variety of passions, ^{n 7}always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. ^{o 8}Just as Jannes and Jambres ^p resisted Moses, ^q so these also resist the truth. They are men who are corrupt in mind ^r and worthless ^s in regard to the faith. ⁹But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be clear to all, as was the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres.

Struggles in the Christian Life

¹⁰But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, ^t faith, patience, love, ^u and endurance, ¹¹along with the persecutions and sufferings ^v that came to me in Antioch, ^w Iconium, ^x and Lystra. ^y What persecutions I endured #— #and yet the Lord rescued me from them all. ¹²In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. ^{z 13}Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving ^aa and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, ^{ab 15}and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, ^ac which are able to give you wisdom for salvation ^ad through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God ^ae,^af and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. ^ag