2 Timothy, 3

1. You may be quite sure that in the last days there will be some difficult times.

1. But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress.

2. People will be self-centred and avaricious, boastful, arrogant and rude; disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious;

2. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3. heartless and intractable; they will be slanderers, profligates, savages and enemies of everything that is good;

3. inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good,

4. they will be treacherous and reckless and demented by pride, preferring their own pleasure to God.

4. treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5. They will keep up the outward appearance of religion but will have rejected the inner power of it. Keep away from people like that.

5. holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people.

6. Of the same kind, too, are those men who insinuate themselves into families in order to get influence over silly women who are obsessed with their sins and follow one craze after another,

6. For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses,

7. always seeking learning, but unable ever to come to knowledge of the truth.

7. who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

8. Just as Jannes and Jambres defied Moses, so these men defy the truth, their minds corrupt and their faith spurious.

8. As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith;

9. But they will not be able to go on much longer: their folly, like that of the other two, must become obvious to everybody.

9. but they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

10. You, though, have followed my teaching, my way of life, my aims, my faith, my patience and my love, my perseverance

10. Now you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,

11. and the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in places like Antioch, Iconium and Lystra -- all the persecutions I have endured; and the Lord has rescued me from every one of them.

11. my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at Ico'nium, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

12. But anybody who tries to live in devotion to Christ is certain to be persecuted;

12. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

13. while these wicked impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others, and themselves deceived.

13. while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.

14. You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were,

14. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it

15. and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures -from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

15. and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16. All scripture is inspired by God and useful for refuting error, for guiding people's lives and teaching them to be upright.

16. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17. This is how someone who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.

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