2 Peter 2
1 But there arose false-prophets also among the people, as, among you also, there shall be, false-teachers, —men who will stealthily bring in destructive parties, even the Master that bought them, denying, bringing upon themselves speedy destruction;
False prophets came to the people, and false teachers will also come to you. They will secretly bring with them destructive heresies, and they will deny the master who bought them. They are bringing quick destruction upon themselves.
2 And, many, will follow out their wanton ways, —by reason of whom, the way of truth, will be defamed,
Many will follow their sensuality, and through them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 And, in greed, with forged words, will they, of you, make merchandise: for whom, the sentence from of old, is not idle, and, their destruction, doth not slumber.
In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For—if, God, spared not, messengers, when they sinned, but, to pits of gloom, consigning them, in the lowest hades, delivered them up to be kept, unto judgment, — (Tartaroō g5020)
For God did not spare the angels who sinned. Instead he handed them down to Tartarus to be kept in chains of lower darkness until the judgment. (Tartaroō g5020)
5 And, an ancient world, spared not, but, with seven others, preserved, Noah, a proclaimer, of righteousness, a flood, upon a world of ungodly persons, letting loose, —
Also, he did not spare the ancient world. Instead, he preserved Noah, who was a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly.
6 And, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing to ashes, he condemned, an example of such as should be ungodly, having set forth, —
God also reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to destruction, as an example of what is to happen to the ungodly.
7 And, righteous Lot, when getting worn out by the behaviour of them who were impious in wantonness, he rescued—
But as for the righteous Lot, he was oppressed by the sensual behavior of lawless people.
8 For, in seeing and hearing, since he dwelt right among them, as a righteous man, he used to torment his soul, day by day, with their lawless deeds—
So that righteous man, who was living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul because of what he saw and heard.
9 [Then] the Lord knoweth how to rescue, the godly out of trial; but to keep, the unrighteous unto a day of judgment to be punished; —
The Lord knows how to rescue godly men out of trials, and how to hold unrighteous men for punishment at the day of judgment.
10 Most of all, however, them who go their way, after the flesh, with a coveting of defilement, and who despise, lordship, —daring! willful! before dignitaries, they tremble not, defaming,
This is especially true for those who continue in the corrupt desires of the flesh and who despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are not afraid to blaspheme the glorious ones.
11 where, messengers, though, greater in might and power, are not bringing against them [before the Lord] a defamatory accusation, —
Angels have greater strength and power, but they do not bring insulting judgments against them to the Lord.
12 These, however, as unreasoning creatures that have been bred as being, by nature, for capture and destruction, in the things they are ignorant of, uttering defamation, in their spoiling, shall also be made a spoil, —
But these unreasoning animals are naturally made for capture and destruction. They do not know what they insult. They will be destroyed.
13 Doing wrong themselves, for a reward of wrong, accounting, a delight, their day-time delicacy, spots and blemishes, indulging in delicacies with their stratagems, as they carouse together with you,
They will receive the reward of their wrongdoing. They think that luxury during the day is a pleasure. They are stains and blemishes. They enjoy their deceitful actions while they are feasting with you.
14 Having, eyes, full of an adulteress, and that cannot rest from sin, enticing unstable souls, having, a heart trained in greed, —children of a curse, —
They have eyes full of adultery, they are never satisfied with sin. They entice unstable souls into wrongdoing, and they have their hearts trained in covetousness. They are cursed children!
15 Forsaking a straight path, they have gone astray, following out the way of Balaam [son] of Beor, who loved, a reward of wrong,
They have abandoned the right way and have wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to receive payment for unrighteousness.
16 But had, a reproof, of his own transgression, a dumb beast of burden, in man’s voice, finding utterance, forbade the prophet’s madness.
But he obtained a rebuke for his own transgression—a mute donkey speaking in a human voice stopped the prophet's insanity.
17 These, are fountains without water, and mists, by a tempest, driven along, —for whom, the gloom of darkness, hath been reserved;
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. The gloom of thick darkness is reserved for them.
18 For, great swelling words of vanity, uttering, they entice with carnal covetings—in wanton ways—them who are, well-nigh, escaping from the men who, in error, have their behaviour;
They speak with vain arrogance. They entice people through the lusts of the flesh. They entice people who try to escape from those who live in error.
19 Promising, freedom to them, they themselves, being all the while, slaves of corruption, —for, by whom one hath been defeated, by the same, hath he become enslaved, —
They promise freedom to them, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For a man is a slave to whatever overcomes him.
20 For, if, having escaped from the defilements of the world by a personal knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, but, by the same having again become entangled, they are defeated, the, last, state hath become, for them, worse than, the first;
If they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21 For, better, had it been for them—not to have obtained a personal knowledge of the way of righteousness, than, having obtained such knowledge, to turn back out of the holy commandment delivered unto them.
It would have been better for them not to know the way of righteousness than to know it and turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 There hath befallen them the thing [spoken of] in the true proverb—A dog, turning back unto his own vomit, and—A sow, as soon as washed, unto wallowing in mire.
This proverb is true for them: “A dog returns to its own vomit, and a washed pig returns to the mud.”
