1 O r sappi questo: negli ultimi giorni verranno tempi difficili;

You must understand that in the last days there will come times of much trouble.

2 p erché gli uomini saranno egoisti, amanti del denaro, vanagloriosi, superbi, bestemmiatori, ribelli ai genitori, ingrati, irreligiosi,

People 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.

3 i nsensibili, sleali, calunniatori, intemperanti, spietati, senza amore per il bene,

They 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.

4 t raditori, sconsiderati, orgogliosi, amanti del piacere anziché di Dio,

They 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.

5 a venti l’apparenza della pietà, mentre ne hanno rinnegato la potenza. Anche da costoro allontànati!

They 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.

6 P oiché nel numero di costoro ci sono quelli che si insinuano nelle case e circuiscono donnette cariche di peccati, agitate da varie passioni,

These 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.

7 l e quali cercano sempre di imparare e non possono mai giungere alla conoscenza della verità.

Such women are always listening to new teaching. But they are never able to understand the truth.

8 E come Iannè e Iambrè si opposero a Mosè, così anche costoro si oppongono alla verità: uomini dalla mente corrotta, che non hanno dato buona prova quanto alla fede.

Jannes 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.

9 M a non andranno più oltre, perché la loro stoltezza sarà manifesta a tutti, come fu quella di quegli uomini. Esortazioni varie rivolte a Timoteo

They 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

10 T u invece hai seguito da vicino il mio insegnamento, la mia condotta, i miei propositi, la mia fede, la mia pazienza, il mio amore, la mia costanza,

But 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.

11 l e mie persecuzioni, le mie sofferenze, quello che mi accadde ad Antiochia, a Iconio e a Listra. Sai quali persecuzioni ho sopportato, e il Signore mi ha liberato da tutte.

You 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.

12 D el resto, tutti quelli che vogliono vivere piamente in Cristo Gesù saranno perseguitati.

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

13 M a gli uomini malvagi e gli impostori andranno di male in peggio, ingannando gli altri ed essendo ingannati.

Sinful 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.

14 T u, invece, persevera nelle cose che hai imparate e di cui hai acquistato la certezza, sapendo da chi le hai imparate,

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

15 e che fin da bambino hai avuto conoscenza delle sacre Scritture, le quali possono darti la sapienza che conduce alla salvezza mediante la fede in Cristo Gesù.

You 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.

16 O gni Scrittura è ispirata da Dio e utile a insegnare, a riprendere, a correggere, a educare alla giustizia,

All 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.

17 p erché l’uomo di Dio sia completo e ben preparato per ogni opera buona.

It gives the man who belongs to God everything he needs to work well for Him.