2 Timothy 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Difficult Times Ahead
3 But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days.(A) 2 For people will be lovers of self,(B) lovers of money,(C) boastful, proud,(D) blasphemers, 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, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power.(L) Avoid these people!(M)
6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along 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, men who are corrupt in mind,(R) worthless(S) in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs[a] was also.
Struggles in the Christian Life
10 But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose,(T) faith, patience, love,(U) and endurance, 11 along with the persecutions and sufferings(V) that came to me in Antioch,(W) Iconium,(X) and Lystra.(Y) What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 In fact, all those 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. 14 But 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 childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures,(AC) which are able to give you wisdom for salvation(AD) through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God[b](AE) and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.(AF)
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 3:9 = Jannes and Jambres
- 2 Timothy 3:16 Lit breathed out by God; the Scripture is the product of God’s Spirit working through men; 2Pt 1:20-21.
2 Timothy 3
New King James Version
Perilous Times and Perilous Men
3 But know this, that (A)in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 (B)traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 (C)having a form of godliness but (D)denying its power. And (E)from such people turn away! 6 For (F)of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able (G)to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 (H)Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: (I)men of corrupt minds, (J)disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, (K)as theirs also was.
The Man of God and the Word of God
10 (L)But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me (M)at Antioch, (N)at Iconium, (O)at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And (P)out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and (Q)all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 (R)But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must (S)continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known (T)the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 (U)All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, (V)and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [c]instruction in righteousness, 17 (W)that the man of God may be complete, (X)thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 3:1 times of stress
- 2 Timothy 3:3 irreconcilable
- 2 Timothy 3:16 training, discipline
2 Timothy 3
Living Bible
3 You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. 3 They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. 4 They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God. 5 They will go to church,[a] yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that.
6 They are the kind who craftily sneak into other people’s homes and make friendships with silly, sin-burdened women and teach them their new doctrines. 7 Women of that kind are forever following new teachers, but they never understand the truth. 8 And these teachers fight truth just as Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. They have dirty minds, warped and twisted, and have turned against the Christian faith.
9 But they won’t get away with all this forever. Someday their deceit will be well known to everyone, as was the sin of Jannes and Jambres.
10 But you know from watching me that I am not that kind of person. You know what I believe and the way I live and what I want. You know my faith in Christ and how I have suffered. You know my love for you, and my patience. 11 You know how many troubles I have had as a result of my preaching the Good News. You know about all that was done to me while I was visiting in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, but the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and those who decide to please Christ Jesus by living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate him. 13 In fact, evil men and false teachers will become worse and worse, deceiving many, they themselves having been deceived by Satan.
14 But you must keep on believing the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know that you can trust those of us who have taught you. 15 You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 The whole Bible[b] was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. 17 It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 3:5 They will go to church, literally, “Having a form of godliness.”
- 2 Timothy 3:16 The whole Bible, literally, “Every Scripture.”
2 Timothy 3
Lexham English Bible
Difficult Times Ahead in the Last Days
3 But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come, 2 for people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 hardhearted, irreconcilable, slanderous, without self-control, savage, with no interest for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God, 5 maintaining a form of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid these people. 6 For from these are those who slip into houses and captivate foolish women loaded down with sins, led by various kinds of desires, 7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 And just as[a] Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, disqualified concerning the faith. 9 But they will not progress to a greater extent, for their folly will be quite evident to everyone, as also the folly of those two was.
The Value of the Scriptures
10 But you have faithfully followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra, what sort of persecutions I endured, and the Lord delivered me from all of them. 12 And indeed, all those who want to live in a godly manner in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil people and imposters will progress to the worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you continue in the things which you have learned and are convinced of, because you[b] know from whom you learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the holy writings that are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, 17 in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 3:8 Literally “in the manner in which”
- 2 Timothy 3:14 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal
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