2 Timothy 3–4

Chapter 3

“Difficult Times Will Come”

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

²For men will be ^alovers of self, ^blovers of money, ^cboastful, arrogant, ^drevilers, disobedient to parents, ^eungrateful, ^funholy,

^3aunloving, irreconcilable, ^bmalicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, ^1chaters of good,

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

⁵holding to a form of ^1agodliness, although they have ^bdenied its power; ^cAvoid such men as these.

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

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

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

⁹But they will not make further progress; for their ^afolly will be obvious to all, just ^bas ¹Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.

¹⁰Now 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.

¹⁴You, however, ^acontinue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

¹⁵and that ^afrom childhood you have known ^bthe sacred writings which are able to ^cgive you the wisdom that leads to ^dsalvation through faith which is in ^eChrist Jesus.

^16aAll Scripture is ¹inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for ²training in righteousness;

¹⁷so that ^athe man of God may be adequate, ^bequipped 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 instruction.

³For ^athe time will come when they will not endure ^bsound doctrine; but wanting to have their 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

^9aMake every effort to come to me soon;

¹⁰for ^aDemas, having loved ^bthis present ¹world, has deserted me and gone to ^cThessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^2dGalatia, ^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 have sent to ^bEphesus.

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

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

¹⁵Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our ¹teaching.

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 proclamation might ¹be ^cfully accomplished, 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 ^1abring me safely to His ^bheavenly kingdom; ^cto ²Him 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.

^21aMake every effort to come before ^bwinter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.

^22aThe Lord be with your spirit. ^bGrace be with you.