¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings.^{(A) 12} Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies because they have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with you no more unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.

The Sin of Achan and Its Punishment

7 But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.^(A)

³ For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound teaching, but, having their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires^{(A) 4} and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.

¹⁶ Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people^[a] into more and more impiety,^{(A) 17} and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,^{(B) 18} who have swerved from the truth, saying resurrection^[b] has already occurred. They are upsetting the faith of some.^(C)

¹⁶ So I said, “Wisdom is better than might; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.”^(A)

¹⁵ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God, that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble and through it many become defiled.^{(A) 16} See to it that no one becomes an immoral and godless person, as Esau was, who sold his birthright for a single meal.^(B)

¹⁰ There are also many rebellious people, idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision;^{(A) 11} they must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordid gain what it is not right to teach.^(B)

⁸ As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith, also oppose the truth.^(A)