Chapter 3

¹But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. ²For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, ⁴traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; ⁵holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. Turn away from these, also. ⁶For of these are those who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these also oppose the truth; men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith. ⁹But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be. ¹⁰But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness, ¹¹persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹²Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them. ¹⁵From infancy, you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶Every writing inspired by God³¹¹³¹¹literally, God-breathed is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction which is in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.