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The Dangers of the Last Days

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of[a] vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Greek and take captive.

Ministry in the Last Days

But understand this, that in the last days difficult[a] times will come. For people[b] will be lovers of themselves,[c] lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. They will maintain the outward appearance[d] of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.[e] For some of these insinuate themselves[f] into households and captivate weak women[g] who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions. Such women are always seeking instruction,[h] yet never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. And just as Jannes and Jambres[i] opposed Moses, so these people—who have warped minds and are disqualified in the faith[j]—also oppose the truth. But they will not go much further,[k] for their foolishness will be obvious to everyone, just like it was with Jannes and Jambres.[l]

Continue in What You Have Learned

10 You, however,[m] have followed my teaching, my[n] way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 11 as well as the persecutions and sufferings[o] that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra.[p] I endured these persecutions and the Lord delivered me from them all. 12 Now in fact all who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse,[q] deceiving others and being deceived themselves.[r] 14 You, however, must continue[s] in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know[t] who taught you[u] 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 Every scripture[v] is inspired by God[w] and useful for teaching, for reproof,[x] for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God[y] may be capable[z] and equipped for every good work.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 3:1 tn Or perhaps, “dangerous,” “fierce.”
  2. 2 Timothy 3:2 tn Grk “men,” but here ἄνθρωποι (anthrōpoi) is generic, referring to both men and women.
  3. 2 Timothy 3:2 tn Or “self-centered.” The first two traits in 2 Tim 3:2 and the last two in 3:4 are Greek words beginning with the root “lovers of,” and so bracket the list at beginning and end.
  4. 2 Timothy 3:5 tn Or “form.”sn Outward appearance. Paul’s contrast with power in 3:5b shows that he regards this “form” to be outward, one of appearance rather than reality (cf. 1 Cor 4:19-20; 1 Thess 1:5).
  5. 2 Timothy 3:5 tn Grk “and avoid these,” with the word “people” implied.
  6. 2 Timothy 3:6 tn Grk “For from these are those who sneak.”
  7. 2 Timothy 3:6 tn Or “silly women.”
  8. 2 Timothy 3:7 tn Grk “always learning,” continuing the description of the women from v. 6. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  9. 2 Timothy 3:8 sn Jannes and Jambres were the traditional names of two of Pharaoh’s magicians who opposed Moses at the time of the Exodus.
  10. 2 Timothy 3:8 tn Grk “disapproved concerning the faith.”
  11. 2 Timothy 3:9 tn Grk “for they will not progress any more.”
  12. 2 Timothy 3:9 tn Grk “as theirs came to be,” referring to the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres. The referent of “theirs” (Jannes and Jambres) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 2 Timothy 3:10 sn There is a strong emphasis on the pronoun you in contrast to the people described in vv. 2-9.
  14. 2 Timothy 3:10 tn The possessive “my” occurs only at the beginning of the list but is positioned in Greek to apply to each of the words in the series.
  15. 2 Timothy 3:11 tn Grk “persecutions, sufferings,” as a continuation of the series from v. 10.
  16. 2 Timothy 3:11 sn In Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra. See Acts 13-14 for the account of these persecutions.
  17. 2 Timothy 3:13 tn Grk “will advance to the worse.”
  18. 2 Timothy 3:13 tn Grk “deceiving and being deceived.”
  19. 2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “but you, continue,” a command.
  20. 2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “knowing,” giving the reasons for continuing as v. 14 calls for.
  21. 2 Timothy 3:14 tn Grk “those from whom you learned.”
  22. 2 Timothy 3:16 tn Or “All scripture.”sn There is very little difference in sense between every scripture (emphasizing the individual portions) and “all scripture” (emphasizing the composite whole). The former option is preferred, because it fits the normal use of the word “all/every” in Greek (πᾶς, pas) as well as Paul’s normal sense for the word “scripture” in the singular without the article, as here. So every scripture means “every individual portion of scripture.”
  23. 2 Timothy 3:16 sn Inspired by God. Some have connected this adjective in a different way and translated it as “every inspired scripture is also useful.” But this violates the parallelism of the two adjectives in the sentence, and the arrangement of words makes clear that both should be taken as predicate adjectives: “every scripture is inspired…and useful.”
  24. 2 Timothy 3:16 tn Or “rebuke,” “censure.” The Greek word implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
  25. 2 Timothy 3:17 tn Grk “the man of God,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is most likely used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.
  26. 2 Timothy 3:17 tn This word is positioned for special emphasis; it carries the sense of “complete, competent, able to meet all demands.”