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¹ You must realize, however, that in the last days difficult times will come.[xr] ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,[xr] ³ unfeeling, uncooperative, slanderous, degenerate, brutal, hateful of what is good,[xr] ⁴ traitors, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.[xr] ⁵ They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.[xr] ⁶ For some of these men go into homes and deceive foolish women who are burdened with sins and swayed by all kinds of desires.[xr] ⁷ These women are always studying but are never able to arrive at a full knowledge of the truth.[xr] ⁸ Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and their faith is a counterfeit.[xr] ⁹ But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those two men,[fn] their stupidity will be plain to everyone.[xr]

¹⁰ But you have observed my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,[xr] ¹¹ and my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.[xr] ¹² Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted.[xr] ¹³ But evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse as they deceive others and are themselves deceived.[xr] ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and found to be true, because you know from whom you learned it.[xr] ¹⁵ From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.[xr] ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed[fn] and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,[xr] ¹⁷ so that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.[xr]