³ For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires^(A)

False Prophets and Their Punishment

2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.^{(A) 2} Even so, many will follow their debaucheries, and because of these teachers^[a] the way of truth will be maligned. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.^(B)

Godlessness in the Last Days

3 You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. ² For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,^{(A) 3} unfeeling, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good,^{(B) 4} treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,^{(C) 5} holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! ⁶ For among them are those who make their way into households and captivate immature women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires,^(D)

False Asceticism

4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later^[a] times some will renounce^[b] the faith by paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,^{(A) 2} through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. ³ They forbid marriage and abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.^(B)

¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who engage in illicit sex,^[a] slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching^(A)

¹⁶ Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

¹⁹ And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.^{(A) 20} For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.^{(B) 21} But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”^[a](C)

²⁶ “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.^(A)