2 Peter 2

1And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction,

1But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.

2and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of,

2And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.

3and in covetousness, with moulded words, of you they shall make merchandise, whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction doth not slumber.

3And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.

4For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast <FI>them<Fi> down to Tartarus, did deliver <FI>them<Fi> to judgment, having been reserved,

4For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged;

5and the old world did not spare, but the eighth person, Noah, of righteousness a preacher, did keep, a flood on the world of the impious having brought,

5And did not have mercy on the world which then was, but only kept safe Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he let loose the waters over the world of the evil-doers;

6and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having turned to ashes, with an overthrow did condemn, an example to those about to be impious having set <FI>them<Fi> ;

6And sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, burning them up with fire as an example to those whose way of life might in the future be unpleasing to him;

7and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue,

7And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers

8for in seeing and hearing, the righteous man, dwelling among them, day by day the righteous soul with unlawful works was harassing.

8(Because the soul of that upright man living among them was pained from day to day by seeing and hearing their crimes):

9The Lord hath known to rescue pious ones out of temptation, and unrighteous ones to a day of judgment, being punished, to keep,

9The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;

10and chiefly those going behind the flesh in desire of uncleanness, and lordship despising; presumptuous, self-complacent, dignities they are not afraid to speak evil of,

10But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places:

11whereas messengers, in strength and power being greater, do not bear against them before the Lord an evil speaking judgment;

11Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord.

12and these, as irrational natural beasts, made to be caught and destroyed--in what things they are ignorant of, speaking evil--in their destruction shall be destroyed,

12But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others;

13about to receive a reward of unrighteousness, pleasures counting the luxury in the day, spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you,

13For the evil which overtakes them is the reward of their evil-doing: such men take their pleasure in the delights of the flesh even in the daytime; they are like the marks of a disease, like poisoned wounds among you, feasting together with you in joy;

14having eyes full of adultery, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having an heart exercised in covetousnesses, children of a curse,

14Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy;

15having forsaken a right way, they did go astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the <FI>son<Fi> of Bosor, who a reward of unrighteousness did love,

15Turning out of the true way, they have gone wandering in error, after the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was pleased to take payment for wrongdoing;

16and had a rebuke of his own iniquity--a dumb ass, in man's voice having spoken, did forbid the madness of the prophet.

16But his wrongdoing was pointed out to him: an ass, talking with a man's voice, put a stop to the error of the prophet.

17These are wells without water, and clouds by a tempest driven, to whom the thick gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept;

17These are fountains without water, and mists before a driving storm; for whom the eternal night is kept in store.

18for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh--lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error,

18For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;

19liberty to them promising, themselves being servants of the corruption, for by whom any one hath been overcome, to this one also he hath been brought to servitude,

19Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him.

20for, if having escaped from the pollutions of the world, in the acknowledging of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and by these again being entangled, they have been overcome, become to them hath the last things worse than the first,

20For if, after they have got free from the unclean things of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again taken in the net and overcome, their last condition is worse than their first.

21for it were better to them not to have acknowledged the way of the righteousness, than having acknowledged <FI>it<Fi> , to turn back from the holy command delivered to them,

21For it would have been better for them to have had no knowledge of the way of righteousness, than to go back again from the holy law which was given to them, after having knowledge of it.

22and happened to them hath that of the true similitude; `A dog did turn back upon his own vomit,' and, `A sow having bathed herself--to rolling in mire.'

22They are an example of that true saying, The dog has gone back to the food it had put out, and the pig which had been washed to its rolling in the dirty earth.