2 Timothy 3
Christian Standard Bible
Difficult Times Ahead
3 But 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, 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 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. 9 But 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
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—and yet the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 In 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. 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 infancy 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[a](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
- 3:16 Lit breathed out by God
2 Timothy 3
New Life Version
Things That Will Happen in the Last Days
3 You must understand that in the last days there will come times of much trouble. 2 People will love themselves and money. They will have pride and tell of all the things they have done. They will speak against God. Children and young people will not obey their parents. People will not be thankful and they will not be holy. 3 They will not love each other. No one can get along with them. They will tell lies about others. They will not be able to keep from doing things they know they should not do. They will be wild and want to beat and hurt those who are good. 4 They will not stay true to their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think too much of themselves. They will love fun instead of loving God. 5 They will do things to make it look as if they are Christians. But they will not receive the power that is for a Christian. Keep away from such people.
6 These are the kind of people who go from house to house. They talk to foolish women who are loaded down with sins and all kinds of sinful desires. 7 Such women are always listening to new teaching. But they are never able to understand the truth. 8 Jannes and Jambres fought against Moses. So do these teachers fight against the truth today. Their minds think only of sinful things. They have turned against the Christian teaching. 9 They will not get very far. Their foolish teaching will be seen by everyone. That was the way it was with the two who worked against Moses.
Teach the Truth
10 But you know what I teach and how I live. You know what I want to do. You know about my faith and my love. You know how long I am willing to wait for something. You know how I keep on working for God even when it is hard for me. 11 You know about all the troubles and hard times I have had. You have seen how I suffered in the cities of Antioch and Iconium and Lystra. Yet the Lord brought me out of all those troubles. 12 Yes! All who want to live a God-like life who belong to Christ Jesus will suffer from others. 13 Sinful men and false teachers will go from bad to worse. They will lead others the wrong way and will be led the wrong way themselves.
14 But as for you, hold on to what you have learned and know to be true. Remember where you learned them. 15 You have known the Holy Writings since you were a child. They are able to give you wisdom that leads to being saved from the punishment of sin by putting your trust in Christ Jesus. 16 All the Holy Writings are God-given and are made alive by Him. Man is helped when he is taught God’s Word. It shows what is wrong. It changes the way of a man’s life. It shows him how to be right with God. 17 It gives the man who belongs to God everything he needs to work well for Him.
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