¹¹ After the Babylonian army had withdrawn^(A) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property^(B) among the people there. ¹³ But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,^(C) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”^(D)

¹⁴ “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested^(E) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. ¹⁵ They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten^(F) and imprisoned^(G) in the house^(H) of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

¹⁶ Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. ¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent^(I) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(J) him privately,^(K) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered^(L) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁸ Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “What crime^(M) have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison? ¹⁹ Where are your prophets^(N) who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this land’? ²⁰ But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there.”^(O)

²¹ King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread^(P) in the city was gone.^(Q) So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.^(R)

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.^{(A) 2} People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,^(B) boastful, proud,^(C) abusive,^(D) disobedient to their parents,^(E) ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous,^(F) rash, conceited,^(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness^(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.^(I)

⁶ They are the kind who worm their way^(J) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷ always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.^{(K) 8} Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses,^(L) so also these teachers oppose^(M) the truth. They are men of depraved minds,^(N) who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men,^(O) their folly will be clear to everyone.

A Final Charge to Timothy

¹⁰ You, however, know all about my teaching,^(P) my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch,^(Q) Iconium^(R) and Lystra,^(S) the persecutions I endured.^(T) Yet the Lord rescued^(U) me from all of them.^{(V) 12} In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,^{(W) 13} while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse,^(X) deceiving and being deceived.^{(Y) 14} But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,^{(Z) 15} and how from infancy^(AA) you have known the Holy Scriptures,^(AB) which are able to make you wise^(AC) for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed^(AD) and is useful for teaching,^(AE) rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,^{(AF) 17} so that the servant of God^[a](AG) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.^(AH)