CHAPTER 3

Difficult Times Will Come

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 apersecutions, 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!

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

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

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

15 and 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.

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

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