2 Peter 2

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be among you lying teachers, who will introduce divisions of perdition, and they will deny him who bought them, the Lord, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.2 And many persons will follow their indulgences; through such persons, the way of truth will be blasphemed.3 And in avarice, they will negotiate about you with false words. Their judgment, in the near future, is not delayed, and their perdition does not sleep.4 For God did not spare those Angels who sinned, but instead delivered them, as if dragged down by infernal ropes, into the torments of the underworld, to be reserved unto judgment.5 And he did not spare the original world, but he preserved the eighth one, Noah, the herald of justice, bringing the flood upon the world of the impious.6 And he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, condemning them to be overthrown, setting them as an example to anyone who might act impiously.7 And he rescued a just man, Lot, who was oppressed by the unjust and lewd behavior of the wicked.8 For in seeing and in hearing, he was just, though he lived with those who, from day to day, crucified the just soul with works of iniquity.9 Thus, the Lord knows how to rescue the pious from trials, and how to reserve the iniquitous for torments on the day of judgment;10 even more so, those who walk after the flesh in unclean desires, and who despise proper authority. Boldly pleasing themselves, they do not dread to introduce divisions by blaspheming;11 whereas the Angels, who are greater in strength and virtue, did not bring against themselves such a deplorable judgment.12 Yet truly, these others, like irrational beasts, naturally fall into traps and into ruin by blaspheming whatever they do not understand, and so they shall perish in their corruption,13 receiving the reward of injustice, the fruition of valuing the delights of the day: defilements and stains, overflowing with self-indulgences, taking pleasure in their feasts with you,14 having eyes full of adultery and of incessant offenses, luring unstable souls, having a heart well-trained in avarice, sons of curses!15 Abandoning the straight path, they wandered astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of iniquity.16 Yet truly, he had a correction of his madness: the mute animal under the yoke, which, by speaking with a human voice, forbid the folly of the prophet.17 These ones are like fountains without water, and like clouds stirred up by whirlwinds. For them, the mist of darkness is reserved.18 For, speaking with the arrogance of vanity, they lure, by the desires of fleshly pleasures, those who are fleeing to some extent, who are being turned from error,19 promising them freedoms, while they themselves are the servants of corruption. For by whatever a man is overcome, of this also is he the servant.20 For if, after taking refuge from the defilements of the world in the understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled and overcome by these things, then the latter state becomes worse than the former.21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of justice than, after acknowledging it, to turn away from that holy commandment which was handed on to them.22 For the truth of the proverb has happened to them: The dog has returned to his own vomit, and the washed sow has returned to her wallowing in the mud.

2 Peter 2

The False Teachers’ Ungodly Lifestyle

1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.s These false teacherst wills infiltrate your midstt with destructive heresies,t even to the point oft denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bringt swift destruction on themselves.2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles.t Because of these false teachers,t the way of truth will be slandered.t

3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Theirt condemnation pronounced long agot is not sitting idly by;t theirt destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,t but threw them into hellt and locked them upt in chainss in utter darkness,t to be kept until the judgment,5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others,t when Godt brought a flood on an ungodly world,t6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction,sts having appointedt them to serve as an examplet to future generations of the ungodly,t7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawlesst men,t8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soult by the lawless deeds he saw and heardt)9 – if so,t then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials,t and to reserve the unrighteous for punishmentt at the day of judgment,

10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desirest and who despise authority.
Brazen and insolent,t they are not afraid to insultt the glorious ones,t11 yet event angels, who are much more powerful,t do not bring a slanderoust judgment against them before the Lord.s12 Butt these men,t like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyedt – do not understand whomt they are insulting, and consequentlyt in their destruction they will be destroyed,t13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways.t By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight,t they are stains and blemishes, indulgingt in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you.14 Their eyes,t full of adultery,t never stop sinning;t they enticet unstable people.t They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!t15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor,t who loved the wages of unrighteousness,t

16 yet was rebukedt for his own transgression (a dumb donkey,t speaking with a human voice,t restrained the prophet’s madness).s
17 These ment are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darknesst have been reserved.18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty wordst they are able to entice,t with fleshly desires and with debauchery,t peoplet who have just escapedt from those who reside in error.t19 Although these false teachers promiset such peoplet freedom, they themselves are enslaved tot immorality.t For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.t20 For if after they have escaped the filthy thingst of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,s theyt again get entangled in them and succumb to them,t their last state has become worse for them than their first.21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them.

22 They are illustrations of this true proverb:t “A dog returns to its own vomit,”t and “A sow, after washing herself,t wallows in the mire.”t