2 Timothy 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10 But you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, steadfastness,

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

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

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

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

17 that each person who belongs to God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Around 2 Timothy 3

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

2 Timothy 3 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

Paul warns Timothy that in the last days grievous times will come. He then lists what people will be like: lovers of self and of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They will keep a form of godliness while denying its power. Some of them creep into houses and take advantage of gullible women. Like Jannes and Jambres, who opposed Moses, they will oppose the truth, but their folly will be plain to everyone. The Old Testament does not name these two men.

Then Paul says, but you. Timothy has followed his teaching, his way of life, his patience and his sufferings at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Timothy is to remain in what he has learned, and to remember that from infancy he has known the holy Scriptures. “Every Scripture is God-breathed” and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.

Background

The warning describes the character of people in the last days, and Paul places it in the present as well. Tradition links this letter to Paul at the end of his life, while many scholars think a follower wrote in his name. Christians agree that Scripture is inspired but differ on how that works and on how its authority is understood. The Scriptures Timothy knew from childhood would have been the Old Testament. See Acts 14 and Acts 16 for Lystra and Timothy’s home.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 18 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes