末世的情形
1你要知道，末世必有艱難的日子， 2因為那時的人都自私自利、貪愛錢財、狂妄自誇、驕傲自負、說毀謗話、違背父母、忘恩負義、心不聖潔、 3冷漠無情、不願和解、好說讒言、毫無節制、蠻橫兇暴、不愛良善、 4出賣朋友、任意妄為、自高自大、沉溺享樂、不愛上帝， 5虛有敬虔的外表，卻無敬虔的實質。你要避開這樣的人。
6這些人溜進別人家裡，哄騙那些意志薄弱的婦女。那些婦女心中充滿罪惡，受各種邪情私慾的驅使， 7雖然常常學習，卻不能明白真理。 8現在這些人敵對真理，就像從前雅尼和佯庇反對摩西一樣，他們的心思壞透了，他們的信仰是虛假的。 9不過，他們猖狂不了多久，因為他們的愚昧行徑必暴露在眾人面前，就像雅尼和佯庇的下場一樣。
聖經的益處
10但你熟知我的教導、言行、志向、信心、忍耐、愛心、毅力， 11也知道我在安提阿、以哥念、路司得遭遇了何等的迫害和苦難。但主從這一切患難中救了我。 12其實凡立志在基督耶穌裡過敬虔生活的人都會受到迫害。 13而惡人和騙子會變本加厲地迷惑人，也被人迷惑。
14但你要把自己所學的、所篤信的記在心裡，因為你知道是跟誰學的， 15並且你從小就熟悉聖經。聖經能給你智慧，使你藉著信基督耶穌得到拯救。 16聖經全部是上帝啟示的，有益於教導、督責、使人歸正、培養人行義， 17使屬上帝的人得到充分的裝備，去行各種善事。
1But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
A final charge to Timothy
10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God3:17 Or that you, a man of God, may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
