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

2 Peter 2

False Teachers

1 False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. 2 Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth.

3 In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake!
4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness,t waiting for the Day of Judgment. 5 God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people. 6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them with fire, and made them an example of what will happen to the godless. 7 He rescued Lot, a good man, who was distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people. 8 That good man lived among them, and day after day he suffered agony as he saw and heard their evil actions. 9 And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment, 10 especially those who follow their filthy bodily lusts and despise God's authority. These false teachers are bold and arrogant, and show no respect for the glorious beings above; instead, they insult them. 11 Even the angels, who are so much stronger and mightier than these false teachers, do not accuse them with insults in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these people act by instinct, like wild animals born to be captured and killed; they attack with insults anything they do not understand. They will be destroyed like wild animals, 13 and they will be paid with suffering for the suffering they have caused. Pleasure for them is to do anything in broad daylight that will satisfy their bodily appetites; they are a shame and a disgrace as they join you in your meals, all the while enjoying their deceitful ways! 14 They want to look for nothing but the chance to commit adultery; their appetite for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into a trap. Their hearts are trained to be greedy. They are under God's curse! 15 They have left the straight path and have lost their way; they have followed the path taken by Balaam son of Beor, who loved the money he would get for doing wrong

16 and was rebuked for his sin. His donkey spoke with a human voice and stopped the prophet's insane action.
17 These people are like dried-up springs, like clouds blown along by a storm; God has reserved a place for them in the deepest darkness. 18 They make proud and stupid statements, and use immoral bodily lusts to trap those who are just beginning to escape from among people who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of destructive habits—for we are slaves of anything that has conquered us. 20 If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in worse condition at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them.

22 What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true: “A dog goes back to what it has vomited” and “A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud.”