11 translations · Greek
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts;
2 Timothy 4:3 in 11 translations
- WEB World English Bible
- For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts;
- KJV King James Version
- For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
- BSB Berean Standard Bible
- For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
- ASV American Standard Version
- For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts;
- LSV Literal Standard Version
- for there will be a season when they will not endure the sound teaching, but they will heap up teachers according to their own desires—having an itching ear,
- FBV Free Bible Version
- For the time is coming when people won't bother to listen to true teaching. Instead they will be curious to listen to something different, and will surround themselves with teachers who'll tell them what they want to hear.
- YLT Young’s Literal Translation
- for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers — itching in the hearing,
- DBY Darby Translation
- For the time shall be when they will not bear sound teaching; but according to their own lusts will heap up to themselves teachers, having an itching ear;
- WBT Webster’s Bible
- For the time will come, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts will they multiply to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
- WEBC World English Bible (Catholic)
- For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts,
- DRA Douay-Rheims 1899
- For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears:
The Greek words
Each word of the Greek text in order, with its transliteration, the Berean Standard Bible’s English for it, and its Strong’s number and short definition.
| Word | Transliteration | English (BSB) | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ἔσται | Estai | will come | G1510 εἰμί to be |
| γὰρ | gar | For | G1063 γάρ for |
| καιρὸς | kairos | [the] time | G2540 καιρός time/right time |
| ὅτε | hote | when | G3753 ὅτε when |
| τῆς | tēs | — | G3588 ὁ the/this/who |
| ὑγιαινούσης | hygiainousēs | sound | G5198 ὑγιαίνω be healthy |
| διδασκαλίας | didaskalias | doctrine | G1319 διδασκαλία teaching |
| οὐκ | ouk | — | G3756 οὐ no |
| ἀνέξονται | anexontai | men will not tolerate | G430 ἀνέχω to endure |
| ἀλλὰ | alla | but | G235 ἀλλά but |
| κατὰ | kata | to suit | G2596 κατά according to |
| τὰς | tas | [their] | G3588 ὁ the/this/who |
| ἰδίας | idias | own | G2398 ἴδιος one's own/private |
| ἐπιθυμίας | epithymias | desires | G1939 ἐπιθυμία desire |
| ἑαυτοῖς | heautois | themselves | G1438 ἑαυτοῦ themself |
| ἐπισωρεύσουσιν | episōreusousin | they will gather around | G2002 ἐπισωρεύω to accumulate |
| διδασκάλους | didaskalous | teachers | G1320 διδάσκαλος teacher |
| κνηθόμενοι | knēthomenoi | with itching | G2833 κνήθω to itch |
| τὴν | tēn | — | G3588 ὁ the/this/who |
| ἀκοήν | akoēn | ears | G189 ἀκοή hearing |
Related verses
- 2 Peter 2:1–3
But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
- 2 Timothy 3:1–6
But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, …
- 1 Timothy 4:1–3
But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
- 1 Timothy 1:10
for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;
- Galatians 4:16
So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
- John 3:19–21
This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
- Jeremiah 23:16–17
Yahweh of Armies says, “Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They teach you vanity. They speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of Yahweh. They say continually to those who despise me, ‘Yahweh has said, “You will have peace;”’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, ‘No evil will come on you.’
- Jeremiah 6:16–17
Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen!’
- Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?
- Micah 2:11
If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies: “I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink”; he would be the prophet of this people.
Cross references from OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0, most-voted first; text from the World English Bible.
In context
1 I command you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom:
2 preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts;
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn away to fables.
5 But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
Read all of 2 Timothy 4 in the World English Bible.
Edition and source notes
Each translation is shown as its source prints it, in its own verse numbering; where an edition numbers this verse differently, its own reference is given. The World English Bible, King James Version and Berean Standard Bible link to their chapter pages. Edition notes.
Literal Standard Version (2020) © Covenant Press and the Covenant Christian Coalition, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Imported from the checksum-pinned eBible.org USFX source; the extracted verse text is an adaptation shared under the same license. Free Bible Version (2018) © Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Imported from the checksum-pinned eBible.org USFX source; the extracted verse text is an adaptation shared under the same license.
The original words and their English come from the Berean Standard Bible translation tables (public domain); lemmas and short definitions from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0), with Greek definitions based on Abbott-Smith.
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