1 Y ou must understand that in the last days there will come times of much trouble.

But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come.

2 P eople will love themselves and money. They will have pride and tell of all the things they have done. They will speak against God. Children and young people will not obey their parents. People will not be thankful and they will not be holy.

For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 T hey will not love each other. No one can get along with them. They will tell lies about others. They will not be able to keep from doing things they know they should not do. They will be wild and want to beat and hurt those who are good.

without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good,

4 T hey will not stay true to their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think too much of themselves. They will love fun instead of loving God.

traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;

5 T hey will do things to make it look as if they are Christians. But they will not receive the power that is for a Christian. Keep away from such people.

holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.

6 T hese are the kind of people who go from house to house. They talk to foolish women who are loaded down with sins and all kinds of sinful desires.

For some of these are people who creep into houses, and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

7 S uch women are always listening to new teaching. But they are never able to understand the truth.

always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

8 J annes and Jambres fought against Moses. So do these teachers fight against the truth today. Their minds think only of sinful things. They have turned against the Christian teaching.

Even as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these also oppose the truth; men corrupted in mind, who concerning the faith, are rejected.

9 T hey will not get very far. Their foolish teaching will be seen by everyone. That was the way it was with the two who worked against Moses. Teach the Truth

But they will proceed no further. For their folly will be evident to all men, as theirs also came to be.

10 B ut you know what I teach and how I live. You know what I want to do. You know about my faith and my love. You know how long I am willing to wait for something. You know how I keep on working for God even when it is hard for me.

But you did follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,

11 Y ou know about all the troubles and hard times I have had. You have seen how I suffered in the cities of Antioch and Iconium and Lystra. Yet the Lord brought me out of all those troubles.

persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. The Lord delivered me out of them all.

12 Y es! All who want to live a God-like life who belong to Christ Jesus will suffer from others.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

13 S inful men and false teachers will go from bad to worse. They will lead others the wrong way and will be led the wrong way themselves.

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 B ut as for you, hold on to what you have learned and know to be true. Remember where you learned them.

But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.

15 Y ou have known the Holy Writings since you were a child. They are able to give you wisdom that leads to being saved from the punishment of sin by putting your trust in Christ Jesus.

From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

16 A ll the Holy Writings are God-given and are made alive by Him. Man is helped when he is taught God’s Word. It shows what is wrong. It changes the way of a man’s life. It shows him how to be right with God.

Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,

17 I t gives the man who belongs to God everything he needs to work well for Him.

that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.