1 Be sure of this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 People will be selfish, mercenary, boastful, haughty, and blasphemous; disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, impure, 3 incapable of affection, merciless, slanderous, wanting in self-control, brutal, careless of the right, 4 treacherous, reckless, and puffed up with pride; they will love pleasure more than they love God; 5 and while they retain the outward form of religion, they will not allow it to influence them. Turn your back on such people as these. 6 For among them are to be found those who creep into homes and captivate weak women – women who, loaded with sins, and slaves to all kinds of passions, 7 are always learning, and yet never able to attain to a real knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these people, in their turn, oppose the truth. Their minds are corrupted, and, as regards the faith, they are utterly worthless. 9 They will not, however, make further progress; for their wicked folly will be plain to everyone, just as the folly of Jannes and Jambres was. 10 But you, Timothy, were a close observer of my teaching, my conduct, my purposes, my faith, my forbearance, my love, and my patient endurance, 11 as well as of my persecutions, and of the sufferings which I met with at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. You know what persecutions I underwent; and yet the Lord brought me safe out of all! 12 Yes, and all who aim at living a religious life in union with Christ Jesus will have to suffer persecution; 13 but wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and deceived themselves. 14 You, however, must stand by what you learnt and accepted as true. You know who they were from whom you learnt it; 15 and that, from your childhood, you have known the sacred writings, which can give you the wisdom that, through belief in Christ Jesus, leads to salvation. 16 All scripture is God-breathed: helpful for teaching, for refuting error, for giving guidance, and for training others in righteousness; 17 so that God’s people may be capable and equipped for good work of every kind.