The Appearance of False Prophets

But (A)false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be (B)false teachers (C)among you, who will (D)secretly introduce (E)destructive heresies, even (F)denying the (G)Master who (H)bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their (I)indecent behavior, and because of them (J)the way of the truth will be (K)maligned; and in their (L)greed they will (M)exploit you with (N)false words; (O)their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

For (P)if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into [a]hell and (Q)committed them to [b]pits of darkness, held for judgment; and did not spare (R)the ancient world, but protected (S)Noah, a [c]preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a (T)flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He (U)condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an (V)example [d]of what is coming for the (W)ungodly; and if He (X)rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the (Y)perverted conduct of [e](Z)unscrupulous people (for by what he saw and heard that (AA)righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), (AB)then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from [f]a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the (AC)day of judgment, 10 and especially those who [g](AD)indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and (AE)despise [h]authority.

[i]Reckless, (AF)self-centered, they (AG)speak abusively of angelic [j]majesties without trembling, 11 (AH)whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But (AI)these, like unreasoning animals, (AJ)born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in [k]the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as (AK)the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to (AL)revel in the (AM)daytime. They are stains and blemishes, (AN)reveling in their [l]deceptions as they (AO)feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery [m]that never cease from sin, (AP)enticing (AQ)unstable souls, having hearts trained in (AR)greed, (AS)accursed children; 15 abandoning (AT)the right way, they have gone astray, having followed (AU)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved (AV)the [n]reward of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own offense, (AW)for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.

17 These are (AX)springs without water and mists driven by a storm, (AY)for whom the [o]black darkness has been reserved. 18 For, while speaking out (AZ)arrogant words of no (BA)value they (BB)entice by fleshly desires, by (BC)indecent behavior, those who barely (BD)escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for (BE)by what anyone is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have (BF)escaped the defilements of the world by (BG)the knowledge of the (BH)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again (BI)entangled in them and are overcome, (BJ)the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 (BK)For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from (BL)the holy commandment (BM)handed on to them. 22 [p]It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “(BN)A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 2:4 Gr Tartarus, a name used as a reference to the netherworld (hell)
  2. 2 Peter 2:4 One early ms chains of darkness
  3. 2 Peter 2:5 Or herald
  4. 2 Peter 2:6 One early ms to those who were going to live ungodly lives
  5. 2 Peter 2:7 Or disgraceful
  6. 2 Peter 2:9 Or temptation; one early ms trials (temptations)
  7. 2 Peter 2:10 Lit go after
  8. 2 Peter 2:10 Lit lordship
  9. 2 Peter 2:10 Or Audacious
  10. 2 Peter 2:10 Lit glories
  11. 2 Peter 2:12 Lit their destruction also
  12. 2 Peter 2:13 One early ms love feasts
  13. 2 Peter 2:14 Lit and unceasing from sin
  14. 2 Peter 2:15 Or wages
  15. 2 Peter 2:17 Lit blackness of darkness
  16. 2 Peter 2:22 Lit The thing of the true proverb has happened to them

But de there were ginomai also kai false prophets pseudoprophētēs among en the ho people laos, just as hōs · kai there will be eimi false teachers pseudodidaskalos among en you hymeis, who hostis will bring in pareisagō destructive apōleia heresies hairesis, even kai denying arneomai the ho Master despotēs who bought agorazō them autos, bringing on epagō themselves heautou swift tachinos destruction apōleia. · kai Many polys will follow exakoloutheō their autos · ho immoral lifestyle aselgeia, and because of dia them hos the ho way hodos of ho truth alētheia will be maligned blasphēmeō. And kai in en their greed pleonexia they will exploit emporeuomai you hymeis with their fabricated plastos stories logos. Their hos · ho condemnation krima has not ou from ancient times ekpalai been idle argeō, · kai nor ou · ho has their autos destruction apōleia been sleeping nystazō.

For gar if ei · ho God theos did pheidomai not ou spare pheidomai the angels angelos when they sinned hamartanō but alla cast tartaroō them into hell tartaroō, committing paradidōmi them to chains seira of utter darkness zophos, there to be kept tēreō until eis the judgment krisis; and kai if he did pheidomai not ou spare pheidomai the ancient archaios world kosmos ( but alla preserved phylassō Noah Nōe, the eighth ogdoos, a herald kēryx of righteousness dikaiosynē) when he brought epagō the deluge kataklysmos on an ungodly asebēs world kosmos; · kai if by reducing the cities polis of Sodom Sodoma and kai Gomorrah Gomorra to ashes tephroō he condemned katakrinō them to extinction katastrophē, making tithēmi them an example hypodeigma of what is going to happen mellō to the ungodly asebēs, and kai rescued rhyomai the righteous dikaios man Lot Lōt, who was distressed kataponeō by hypo the ho immoral aselgeia lifestyle anastrophē of ho lawless men athesmos ( for gar while that ho righteous dikaios man was living enkatoikeō among en them autos day hēmera after ek day hēmera, he was tormented basanizō in his righteous dikaios soul psychē by the lawless anomos deeds ergon that he saw blemma and kai heard akoē); then the Lord kyrios knows oida how to rescue rhyomai the godly eusebēs from ek trial peirasmos, but de to keep tēreō the unrighteous adikos under guard tēreō awaiting punishment kolazō on eis the day hēmera of judgment krisis, 10 especially malista · de those ho who in en polluting miasmos lust epithumia indulge poreuō the flesh sarx and kai despise kataphroneō authority kyriotēs. These bold tolmētēs and insolent authadēs people are not ou afraid tremō to slander blasphēmeō the glorious ones doxa, 11 whereas hopou angels angelos, although eimi greater megas in strength ischus and kai power dynamis, do not ou bring pherō a slanderous blasphēmos judgment krisis against kata them autos before para the Lord kyrios. 12 But de these houtos people , like hōs irrational alogos animals zōon, born gennaō creatures of instinct physikos to be eis captured halōsis and kai destroyed phthora, are ignorant agnoeō of en those hos whom they slander blasphēmeō, and in en · ho their autos destruction phthora will themselves also kai be destroyed phtheirō, 13 suffering harm adikeō as the reward misthos for the harm adikia they have done. They consider hēgeomai indulgence hēdonē · ho in en the daytime hēmera a pleasure tryphē. They are spots spilos and kai blemishes mōmos, reveling entryphaō in en · ho their autos deceitful pleasures apatē while they feast with syneuōcheomai you hymeis. 14 They have echō eyes ophthalmos full mestos of adultery moichalis · kai that do not stop akatapaustos sinning hamartia. They seduce deleazō unstable astēriktos souls psychē and have echō hearts kardia well trained gymnazō in greed pleonexia. Accursed katara brood teknon! 15 Forsaking kataleipō the right way hodos, they have gone astray planaō, following exakoloutheō the ho way hodos of ho Balaam Balaam, the son of ho Beor Bosor, who hos loved agapaō the reward misthos of wrongdoing adikia. 16 But de he was echō rebuked elenxis for his own idios transgression paranomia—a dumb aphōnos donkey hypozygion, speaking phthengomai with en the voice phōnē of a man anthrōpos, restrained kōlyō the ho madness paraphronia of the ho prophet prophētēs. 17 These people houtos are eimi wells pēgē without water anydros, · kai mists homichlē driven elaunō by hypo a squall lailaps. For them hos the ho gloom zophos of ho darkness skotos has been reserved tēreō. 18 For gar by speaking phthengomai pompous hyperonkos words phthengomai of vanity mataiotēs, they entice deleazō, by en lusts epithumia of the flesh sarx and debauchery aselgeia, those ho who are just oligōs escaping apopheugō from those ho who are living anastrephō in en error planē. 19 They promise epangellomai them autos freedom eleutheria, but they themselves autos are hyparchō slaves of ho corruption phthora; for gar by hos whatever a man tis is overcome hēttaomai, to this houtos he is enslaved douloō. 20 For gar if ei after they have escaped apopheugō the ho defilements miasma of the ho world kosmos through en the knowledge epignōsis of ho our hēmeis Lord kyrios and kai Savior sōtēr Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, they are again palin entangled emplekō in them houtos · de and overcome hēttaomai, the ho last eschatos state has become ginomai for them autos worse cheirōn than the ho first prōtos. 21 For gar it would have been eimi better kreittōn for them autos never to have come to know epiginōskō the ho way hodos of ho righteousness dikaiosynē than ē, having come to know epiginōskō it, to turn back hypostrephō from ek the ho holy hagios commandment entolē that was delivered paradidōmi to them autos. 22 What has happened symbainō to them autos illustrates the ho · ho true alēthēs proverb paroimia: “A dog kyōn returns epistrephō to epi · ho its own idios vomit exerama, and kai a sow hys, after washing herself louō, returns to eis wallow kylismos in the mire borboros.”