Difficult Times Will Come

1But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, [†]malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of [†]godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these. 6For among them are those who [†]enter into households and take captive [†]weak women weighed down with sins, being led on by various desires, 7always learning and never able to come to the [†]full knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, disqualified in regard to the faith. 9But they will not make further progress, for their folly will be obvious to all, just as theirs was also.

10But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, [†]perseverance, 11persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! 12Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

13But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14But you, continue in the things you learned and became convinced of, knowing from whom you learned them, 15and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is [†]God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for [†]training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work.