2 Peter 2
1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. They will even deny the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
2 Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
Many will follow their sensual ways, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned.
3 In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation from of old is not idle, and their destruction will not slumber.
4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; (Tartaroō g5020)
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and committed them to chains of darkness to be kept for judgment; (Tartaroō g5020)
5 if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, along with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly;
and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes and made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way;
7 and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
and if he rescued righteous Lot, who was distressed by the sensual conduct of the lawless
8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
(for as that righteous man dwelt among them, his righteous soul was tormented day after day over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
9 if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,
10 Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings.
especially those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and who despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme glorious beings,
11 Yet not even angels, though greater in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges against them before the Lord.
whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not bring a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.
12 These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like irrational beasts, creatures of instinct born for capture and destruction, and in the destruction of those beasts they will be destroyed,
13 The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.
receiving the wages of unrighteousness. Counting indulgence in the daytime as pleasure, they are stains and blemishes, openly indulging in their deceptions as they feast with you.
14 Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unstable souls. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
They have abandoned the straight path and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.
16 But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
But he received a rebuke for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and prevented the prophet's madness.
17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
These men are springs without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the thick gloom of darkness has been reserved forever. (questioned)
18 With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
For they speak bombastic words of nonsense, and with sensual desires of the flesh they entice people who have truly escaped from others who live in error.
19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption. For a man is a slave to whatever masters him.
20 If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
For if after they have escaped from the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these defilements and overcome, the last state is worse for them than the first.
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them.
22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
What the true proverb says has happened to them: “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing herself, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
