2 Timothy 3–4

CHAPTER 3

Difficult Times Will Come

¹But know this, that ^ain the last days difficult times will come.

²For men will be ^alovers of self, ^blovers of money, ^cboastful, ^darrogant, ^eblasphemers, ^fdisobedient to parents, ^gungrateful, ^hunholy,

^3aunloving, irreconcilable, ^1bmalicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, ^cwithout love for good,

^4atreacherous, ^breckless, ^cconceited, ^dlovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

⁵holding to a form of ^1agodliness, but having ^bdenied its power. ^cKeep away from such men as these.

⁶For among them are those who ^1aenter into households and take captive ^2bweak women weighed down with sins, being led on by ^cvarious desires,

⁷always learning and never able to ^acome to the ¹full knowledge of the truth.

⁸Just as ^aJannes and Jambres ^bopposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, ^cmen of depraved mind, disqualified in regard to the faith.

⁹But they will not make further progress, for their ^afolly will be obvious to all, just ^bas theirs was also.

¹⁰But you ^afollowed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, ^blove, ¹perseverance,

^11apersecutions, and ^bsufferings, such as happened to me at ^cAntioch, at ^dIconium, and at ^eLystra. What ^fpersecutions I endured, and out of them all ^gthe Lord rescued me!

¹²Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus ^awill be persecuted.

¹³But evil men and impostors ^awill proceed from bad to worse, ^bdeceiving and being deceived.

¹⁴But you, ^acontinue in the things you learned and became convinced of, knowing from whom you learned them,

¹⁵and that ^afrom childhood you have known ^bthe sacred writings which are able to ^cmake you wise unto ^dsalvation through faith which is in ^eChrist Jesus.

^16aAll Scripture is ¹God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ²training in righteousness,

¹⁷so that ^athe man of God may be equipped, having been ^bthoroughly equipped for every good work.

CHAPTER 4

Preach the Word

^1aI solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^bjudge the living and the dead, and by His ^cappearing and His kingdom:

²preach ^athe word; be ready in season and out of season; ^breprove, rebuke, exhort, with ¹great ^cpatience and teaching.

³For ^athe time will come when they will not endure ^bsound doctrine, but wanting to have ¹their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

⁴and ^awill turn away their ears from the truth and ^bwill turn aside to myths.

⁵But you, ^abe sober in all things, ^bendure hardship, do the work of an ^cevangelist, fulfill your ^dministry.

⁶For I am already being ^apoured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^bmy departure has come.

^7aI have fought the good fight, I have finished ^bthe course, I have kept ^cthe faith.

⁸In the future there ^ais laid up for me ^bthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^cthat day, and not only to me, but also to ^dall who have loved His ^eappearing.

Personal Concerns

^9aBe diligent to come to me soon,

¹⁰for ^aDemas, having loved ^bthis present age, has deserted me and gone to ^cThessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^1dGalatia, ^eTitus to Dalmatia.

^11aOnly ^bLuke is with me. Pick up ^cMark and bring him with you, ^dfor he is useful to me for service.

¹²But ^aTychicus I sent to ^bEphesus.

¹³When you come bring the cloak which I left at ^aTroas with Carpus, and the scrolls, especially the parchments.

^14aAlexander the coppersmith showed me much harm; ^bthe Lord will award him according to his deeds.

¹⁵Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our words.

¹⁶At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me. ^aMay it not be counted against them.

¹⁷But the Lord stood with me and ^astrengthened me, so that through me ^bthe preaching might be ^cfulfilled, and that all ^dthe Gentiles might hear. And I was ^erescued out of ^fthe lion’s mouth.

¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will ^asave me unto His ^bheavenly kingdom; ^cto ¹Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹Greet Prisca and ^aAquila, and ^bthe household of Onesiphorus.

^20aErastus remained at ^bCorinth, but ^cTrophimus I left sick at ^dMiletus.

^21aBe diligent to come before ^bwinter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.

^22aThe Lord be with your spirit. ^bGrace be with ¹all of you.