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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Timothy 3:13

and evil persons and impostors will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Deceit;   Doctrines;   Hypocrisy;   Minister, Christian;   Seduction;   Sin;   Temptation;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Deceivers;   Deterioration;   Deterioration-Development;   Error;   Seducers;   Sin;   Sin's;   Sin-Saviour;   Temptation;   Transgression;   Truth-Falsehood;   The Topic Concordance - Deception;   Evil;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Deceit;   Titles and Names of the Wicked;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Demon;   Evil;   Magic;   Timothy, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ephesus;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Titus, Epistle to;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jude, Epistle of;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Timothy and Titus Epistles to;   Wicked;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Perilous Times;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Heresy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Enchantment;   Parousia;   Pastoral Epistles, the;   Seduce;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Evil people and impostors will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.
King James Version (1611)
But euill men and seducers shall waxe worse and worse, deceiuing, and being deceiued.
King James Version
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
English Standard Version
while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
New American Standard Bible
But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
New Century Version
But people who are evil and cheat others will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Legacy Standard Bible
But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Berean Standard Bible
while evil men and imposters go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Contemporary English Version
But evil people who pretend to be what they are not will become worse than ever, as they fool others and are fooled themselves.
Complete Jewish Bible
while evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
Darby Translation
But wicked men and juggling impostors shall advance in evil, leading and being led astray.
Easy-to-Read Version
People who are evil and cheat others will become worse and worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But the euill men and deceiuers, shall waxe worse and worse, deceiuing, and being deceiued.
George Lamsa Translation
But bad and deceptive men shall grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Lexham English Bible
But evil people and imposters will progress to the worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Literal Translation
But evil men and pretenders will go forward to worse, leading astray and being led astray.
Amplified Bible
But evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
American Standard Version
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Bible in Basic English
Evil and false men will become worse and worse, using deceit and themselves overcome by deceit.
Hebrew Names Version
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
International Standard Version
But evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse as they deceive others and are themselves deceived.2 Thessalonians 2:11; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:16;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
But wicked men and seducers add to their wickedness, deceiving, and being deceived.
Murdock Translation
But evil and seducing men will add to their wickedness, while they deceive and are deceived.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the euyll men and deceauers, shall waxe worse and worse, deceauyng and deceaued.
English Revised Version
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
World English Bible
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Weymouth's New Testament
But bad men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But yuele men and disseyueris schulen encreese in to worse, errynge, and sendinge in to errour.
Update Bible Version
But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Webster's Bible Translation
But evil men and seducers will become worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
New English Translation
But evil people and charlatans will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
New King James Version
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
New Living Translation
But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
New Life Bible
Sinful men and false teachers will go from bad to worse. They will lead others the wrong way and will be led the wrong way themselves.
New Revised Standard
But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Whereas, wicked men and howling impostors, will force their way to the worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse: erring, and driving into error,
Revised Standard Version
while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But the evyll men and disceavers shall wexe worsse and worsse whill they deceave and are deceaved them selves.
Young's Literal Translation
and evil men and impostors shall advance to the worse, leading astray and being led astray.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the euell men and disceauers shal waxe worse and worse, disceauynge and beynge disceaued.
Mace New Testament (1729)
as for these impious impostors, they will go on from bad to worse, seducing others, and deluding themselves.
Simplified Cowboy Version
These wannabe cowboys will ride a trail from debauchery to depravity and take many people with them.

Contextual Overview

10 But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, and my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, 11 my persecutions, and my sufferings. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the terrible persecutions I endured! But the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted; 13 and evil persons and impostors will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. 14 But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, 15 and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, 17 so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

evil: 2 Timothy 3:8, 2 Timothy 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:17, 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Peter 2:20, 2 Peter 3:3, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 13:14, Revelation 18:23

being: Job 12:16, Isaiah 44:20, Ezekiel 14:9, Ezekiel 14:10, 2 Thessalonians 2:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 19:5 - General Leviticus 13:3 - deeper Leviticus 13:35 - General 1 Samuel 19:1 - And Saul 1 Kings 13:33 - made again 2 Chronicles 33:23 - trespassed more and more Psalms 119:118 - their deceit Proverbs 10:16 - the fruit Proverbs 14:8 - folly Isaiah 30:1 - add Jeremiah 9:3 - for they Jeremiah 16:12 - worse Jeremiah 29:8 - Let Ezekiel 8:13 - greater Ezekiel 8:15 - Hast Ezekiel 13:10 - seduced Hosea 13:2 - now Malachi 2:12 - the master and the scholar Matthew 7:15 - which Luke 6:39 - Can Luke 21:8 - Take 1 Corinthians 3:12 - wood 1 Corinthians 3:18 - deceive 2 Corinthians 11:3 - so Galatians 6:3 - he deceiveth Ephesians 4:14 - tossed Colossians 2:4 - lest Colossians 2:8 - philosophy Titus 1:10 - there James 1:22 - deceiving 1 John 1:8 - we deceive 1 John 2:26 - concerning 1 John 4:1 - many Revelation 16:11 - and repented not Revelation 22:11 - that is unjust

Cross-References

Genesis 3:4
The snake replied, "That's not true; you will not die.
Genesis 3:6
The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it.
Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called out to the man, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
He answered, "I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked."
Genesis 3:12
The man answered, "The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
Genesis 44:15
and Joseph said, "What have you done? Didn't you know that a man in my position could find you out by practicing divination?"
1 Samuel 13:11
but Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul answered, "The people were deserting me, and you had not come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at Michmash.
2 Samuel 3:24
So Joab went to the king and said to him, "What have you done? Abner came to you—why did you let him go like that?
John 18:35
Pilate replied, "Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me. What have you done?"
1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,.... By "evil men" are meant, not sinful men in common, as all are by nature and practice; nor only open profane sinners but rather wicked men under a form of godliness, as before; and who are full of wickedness and malice against truly godly persons, even as the devil himself, of whom the same word is used, when he is called the wicked one; and this is a reason why true professors of religion must expect persecution, seeing as there ever were, so there ever will be such sort of men, who will not grow better, but worse and worse. The word for "seducers", signifies sorcerers, enchanters, a sort of jugglers; and as the other, it well suits with the ecclesiastics of the church of Rome, who pretend to miracles, and do lying wonders, and by their sorceries deceive all nations, Revelation 18:23 and these "shall wax worse and worse"; in principle and in practice, in ungodliness, and in error, in wickedness and malice against the saints, and in the arts of deceiving; so the church of Rome is never to be expected to be better, but worse; at the time of the fall of Babylon she will be an habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird, Revelation 18:2

deceiving: not God, but themselves and others even all nations, excepting the elect of God; which they do by their good words and fair speeches, and by their show of devotion and religion, and by their pretended miracles and lying wonders:

and deceived by the old serpent, the devil, under whose power and influence they are, in whose snare they are taken, and by whom they are led captive, and will at last share the same fate with himself, and be cast into the same lake of fire and brimstone.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse - That is, it is the character of such men to do this; they may be expected to do it. This is the general law of depravity - that if men are not converted, they are always growing worse, and sinking deeper into iniquity. Their progress will be certain, though it may be gradual, since “nemo repente turpissimus.” The connection here is this: that Timothy was not to expect that he would be exempt from persecution 2 Timothy 3:12, by any change for the better in the wicked men referred to. He was to anticipate in them the operation of the general law in regard to bad men and seducers - that they would grow worse and worse. From this fact, he was to regard it as certain that he, as well as others, would be liable to be persecuted. The word rendered “seducers” - γόης goēs - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, properly, a “juggler, or diviner;” and then, a “deceiver, or impostor.” Here it refers to those who by seductive arts, lead persons into error.

Deceiving - Making others believe that to be true and right, which is false and wrong. This was, of course, done by seductive arts.

And being deceived - Under delusion themselves. The advocates of error are often themselves as really under deception, as those whom they impose upon. They are often sincere in the belief of error, and then they are under a delusion; or, if they are insincere, they are equally deluded in supposing that they can make error pass for truth before God, or can deceive the Searcher of hearts. The worst victims of delusion are those who attempt to delude others.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 13. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse — They will yet get on for a season, deceiving themselves and deceiving others; but, by and by, their folly will become manifest to all, 2 Timothy 3:9. The word γοητες, which we render seducers, signifies jugglers, pretenders to magical arts; probably persons dealing in false miracles, with whom the Church in all ages has been not a little disgraced.


 
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