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
Easy-to-Read Version
Many People Will Stop Loving God
3 Remember this: There are some terrible times coming in the last days. 2 People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. They will abuse others with insults. They will not obey their parents. They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God. 3 They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure. 5 They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live. Stay away from these people!
6 Some of them go into homes and get control over weak women, whose lives are full of sin—women who are led into sin by all the things they want. 7 These women always want to learn something new, but they are never able to fully understand the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres[a] fought against Moses, these people fight against the truth. Their thinking has been confused. The faith they have and teach is worthless. 9 But they will not succeed in what they are trying to do. Everyone will see how foolish they are. That is what happened to Jannes and Jambres.
Last Instructions
10 But you know all about me. You know what I teach and the way I live. You know my goal in life. You know my faith, my patience, and my love. You know that I never stop trying. 11 You know about my persecutions and my sufferings. You know all the things that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—the persecution I suffered in those places. But the Lord saved me from all of it. 12 Everyone who wants to live showing true devotion to God in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 People who are evil and cheat others will become worse and worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves.
14 But you should continue following the teaching you learned. You know it is true, because you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have known the Holy Scriptures[b] since you were a child. These Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.
Footnotes
- 2 Timothy 3:8 Jannes and Jambres Probably the magicians who opposed Moses in Pharaoh’s court. See Ex. 7:11-12, 22.
- 2 Timothy 3:15 Holy Scriptures Writings that Jews and followers of Christ accepted to be from God—the Old Testament.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International