Jeremiah 47-49

New American Standard Bible

Prophecy against Philistia

47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the ^(A)Philistines, before Pharaoh ^[a]conquered ^(B)Gaza. ²This is what the Lord says:

“Behold, waters are going to rise from ^(C)the north
And become an overflowing torrent,
And ^(D)overflow the land and everything that is in it,
The city and those who live in it;
And the people will ^(E)cry out,
And every inhabitant of the land will wail.
³Because of the noise of the ^[b]^(F)galloping hoofs of his ^[c]stallions,
The roar of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,
The fathers have not turned back for their children,
Because of the debility of their hands,
⁴Because of the day that is coming
To ^(G)destroy all the Philistines,
To eliminate from ^(H)Tyre and Sidon
Every surviving ally;
For the Lord is going to destroy the Philistines,
The remnant of the coastland of ^(I)Caphtor.
⁵^(J)Baldness has come upon Gaza;
^(K)Ashkelon has been destroyed.
Remnant of their valley,
How long will you ^(L)gash yourself?
⁶Ah, ^(M)sword of the Lord,
How long will you not be quiet?
Withdraw into your sheath;
Rest and stay still.
⁷How can ^[d]it be quiet,
When the Lord has ^(N)given it an order?
Against Ashkelon and against the sea shore—
There He has ^(O)summoned it.”

Prophecy against Moab

48 Concerning ^(P)Moab. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:

“Woe to ^(Q)Nebo, for it has been destroyed;
^(R)Kiriathaim has been put to shame, it has been captured;
The high stronghold has been put to shame and ^[e]shattered.
²There is no longer praise for Moab;
In ^(S)Heshbon they have devised disaster against her:
‘Come and let’s cut her off from being a nation!’
You too, ^[f]Madmen, will be silenced;
The sword will follow you.
³The sound of an outcry from ^(T)Horonaim,
‘Devastation and great destruction!’
⁴Moab is broken,
Her little ones have sounded out a cry of distress.
⁵For they will go up by the ascent of ^(U)Luhith
With continual weeping;
For at the descent of Horonaim
They have heard the ^[g]anguished cry of destruction.
⁶^(V)Flee, save yourselves,
So that you may be like a juniper in the wilderness.
⁷For because of your ^(W)trust in your own achievements and treasures,
You yourself will also be captured;
And ^(X)Chemosh will go off into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
⁸A destroyer will come to every city,
So that no city will escape;
The valley also will be ruined
And the ^(Y)plateau will be destroyed,
As the Lord has said.
⁹Give ^[h]^(Z)wings to Moab,
For she will ^[i]flee away;
And her cities will become a ^(AA)desolation,
Without inhabitants in them.
¹⁰^(AB)Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work ^(AC)negligently,
And cursed is the one who restrains his ^(AD)sword from blood.

¹¹“Moab has been ^(AE)at ease since his youth;
He has also been ^(AF)peaceful, like wine on ^[j]its dregs,
And he has not been ^(AG)poured from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into exile.
Therefore ^[k]he retains his flavor,
And his aroma has not changed.

¹²Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will pour out his vessels and smash ^[l]his jars. ¹³And Moab will be ^(AH)ashamed of ^(AI)Chemosh, just as the house of Israel was ashamed of ^(AJ)Bethel, their confidence.

¹⁴How can you say, ‘We are ^(AK)warriors,
And men competent for battle’?
¹⁵Moab has been destroyed and ^[m]men have gone up to ^[n]his cities;
His choicest ^[o]^(AL)young men have also gone down to the slaughter,”
Declares the ^(AM)King, whose name is the Lord of armies.
¹⁶“The disaster of Moab will ^(AN)soon come,
And his catastrophe has hurried quickly.
¹⁷Mourn for him, all you who live around him,
And all of you who know his name;
Say, ‘How the mighty ^[p]^(AO)scepter has been broken,
A staff of splendor!’
¹⁸^(AP)Come down from your glory
And sit on the parched ground,
O ^(AQ)daughter living in ^(AR)Dibon,
For the destroyer of Moab has come up against you,
He has ruined your strongholds.
¹⁹Stand by the road and keep watch,
You inhabitant of ^(AS)Aroer;
^(AT)Ask him who flees and her who escapes
And say, ‘What has happened?’
²⁰Moab has been put to shame, for it has been ^[q]shattered.
Wail and cry out;
Declare by the ^(AU)Arnon
That Moab has been destroyed.

²¹“Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, ^(AV)Jahzah, and against ^(AW)Mephaath, ²²against Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, ²³against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and ^(AX)Beth-meon, ²⁴against ^(AY)Kerioth, Bozrah, and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near. ²⁵The ^(AZ)horn of Moab has been cut off, and his ^(BA)arm broken,” declares the Lord. ²⁶“^(BB)Make him drunk, for he has ^[r]become ^(BC)arrogant toward the Lord; so Moab will ^[s]vomit, and he also will become a laughingstock. ²⁷Now was Israel not a ^(BD)laughingstock to you? Or was he ^[t]^(BE)caught among thieves? For whenever you speak about him you ^(BF)shake your head in scorn.

²⁸Leave the cities and live among the ^(BG)rocky cliffs,
You inhabitants of Moab,
And be like a ^(BH)dove that nests
Beyond the mouth of the chasm.
²⁹^(BI)We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud—
Of his haughtiness, his ^(BJ)pride, his arrogance, and ^[u]his self-exaltation.
³⁰I know his ^(BK)fury,” declares the Lord,
“But it is futile;
His idle boasts have accomplished nothing.
³¹Therefore I will ^(BL)wail for Moab,
For all of Moab I will cry out;
^[v]I will moan for the men of ^(BM)Kir-heres.
³²More than the ^(BN)weeping for ^(BO)Jazer
I will weep for you, O vine of Sibmah!
Your tendrils stretched across the sea,
They reached to the sea of Jazer;
Upon your summer fruits and your grape harvest
The destroyer has fallen.
³³So ^(BP)joy and rejoicing are removed
From the fruitful field, and from the land of Moab.
And I have ^(BQ)eliminated the wine from the wine presses;
No one will tread them with shouting,
The shouting will not be shouts of joy.

³⁴^(BR)From the outcry at Heshbon to ^(BS)Elealeh, to Jahaz they have ^[w]raised their voice, from ^(BT)Zoar to Horonaim, and to Eglath-shelishiyah; for even the waters of Nimrim will become desolate. ³⁵And I will put an end to Moab,” declares the Lord, “the one who offers sacrifice on the ^(BU)high place and the one who ^[x]^(BV)burns incense to his gods.

³⁶“Therefore My ^(BW)heart makes a sound like flutes for Moab; My heart also makes a sound like flutes for the men of Kir-heres. Therefore they have ^(BX)lost the abundance it produced. ³⁷For ^(BY)every head is shaved bald, and every beard cut short; there are gashes on all the hands, and ^(BZ)sackcloth around the waists. ³⁸On all the ^(CA)housetops of Moab and in its public squares ^[y]there is mourning everywhere; for I have broken Moab like an undesirable ^(CB)vessel,” declares the Lord. ³⁹“How ^[z]shattered it is! How they have wailed! How Moab has turned his back—he is ashamed! So Moab will become a laughingstock and an ^(CC)object of terror to all around him.”

⁴⁰For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, one will ^(CD)fly swiftly like an eagle
And ^(CE)spread out his wings against Moab.
⁴¹Kerioth has been captured
And the strongholds have been seized,
So the ^(CF)hearts of the warriors of Moab on that day
Will be like the heart of a ^(CG)woman in labor.
⁴²Moab will be ^(CH)destroyed from being a people
Because he has ^[aa]become ^(CI)arrogant toward the Lord.
⁴³^(CJ)Terror, pit, and snare are coming upon you,
Inhabitant of Moab,” declares the Lord.
⁴⁴“The one who ^(CK)flees from the terror
Will fall into the pit,
And the one who climbs up out of the pit
Will be caught in the snare;
For I will bring upon her, upon Moab,
The year of their ^(CL)punishment,” declares the Lord.

⁴⁵“In the shadow of Heshbon
The fugitives stand without strength;
For a fire has spread out from Heshbon
And a ^(CM)flame from the midst of ^(CN)Sihon,
And it has devoured the ^(CO)forehead of Moab
And the scalps of the ^[ab]loud revelers.
⁴⁶^(CP)Woe to you, Moab!
The people of ^(CQ)Chemosh have perished;
For your sons have been taken away captive,
And your daughters into captivity.
⁴⁷Yet I will ^(CR)restore the fortunes of Moab
In the ^[ac]latter days,” declares the Lord.

This is the extent of the judgment on Moab.

Prophecy against Ammon

49 Concerning the sons of ^(CS)Ammon. This is what the Lord says:

“Does Israel have no sons?
Or has he no heirs?
Why then has ^[ad]Malcam taken possession of Gad,
And his people settled in its cities?
²Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will cause an alarm of ^(CT)war to be heard
Against ^(CU)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon;
And it will become a desolate heap,
And her ^(CV)towns will be set on fire.
Then Israel will take ^(CW)possession of his possessors,”
Says the Lord.
³“Wail, ^(CX)Heshbon, for ^(CY)Ai has been destroyed!
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
^(CZ)Put on sackcloth and mourn,
And move about inside the walls;
For ^[ae]Malcam will ^(DA)go into exile
Together with his priests and his leaders.
⁴How you ^(DB)boast about the valleys!
Your valley is flowing away,
You ^(DC)backsliding daughter
Who trusts in her ^(DD)treasures, saying,
‘^(DE)Who can come against me?’
⁵Behold, I am going to bring ^(DF)terror upon you,”
Declares the Lord ^[af]God of armies,
“From all directions around you;
And you will be ^(DG)driven away ^[ag]one after another,
With no one to gather the ^(DH)fugitives together.
⁶But afterward I will ^(DI)restore
The fortunes of the sons of Ammon,”
Declares the Lord.

Prophecy against Edom

⁷Concerning ^(DJ)Edom.
This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Is there no longer any ^(DK)wisdom in ^(DL)Teman?
Has good advice been lost by the prudent?
Has their wisdom decayed?
⁸Flee away, turn back, dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of ^(DM)Dedan,
For I ^[ah]will bring the ^(DN)disaster of Esau upon him
At the time I ^[ai]punish him.
⁹^(DO)If grape pickers came to you,
Would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came by night,
They would destroy only what was sufficient for them.
¹⁰But I have ^(DP)stripped Esau bare,
I have uncovered his hiding places
So that he will not be able to conceal himself;
His ^[aj]offspring have been destroyed along with his ^[ak]brothers
And his neighbors, and ^(DQ)he no longer exists.
¹¹Leave your ^[al]^(DR)orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
And let your ^(DS)widows trust in Me.”

¹²For this is what the Lord says: “Behold, those ^[am]who were not sentenced to drink the ^(DT)cup will certainly drink it, so are you the one who will be held ^(DU)completely blameless? You will not be held blameless, but you will certainly drink it. ¹³For I have ^(DV)sworn by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that ^(DW)Bozrah will become an ^(DX)object of horror, a disgrace, a wasteland, and a curse; and all its cities will become permanent ruins.”

¹⁴I have ^(DY)heard a message from the Lord,
And a ^(DZ)messenger is being sent among the nations, saying,
“^(EA)Gather yourselves together and come against her,
And rise up for battle!”
¹⁵“For behold, I have made you small among the nations,
Despised among people.
¹⁶As for the terror you cause,
The arrogance of your heart has deceived you,
You who live in the clefts of ^[an]the ^(EB)rock,
Who occupy the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest as ^(EC)high as an eagle’s,
I will ^(ED)bring you down from there,” declares the Lord.

¹⁷“Edom will become an ^(EE)object of horror; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and will ^[ao]^(EF)hiss at all its wounds. ¹⁸Like the ^(EG)overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbors,” says the Lord, “^(EH)no one will live there, nor will ^[ap]anyone of mankind reside in it. ¹⁹^(EI)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the ^(EJ)thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will chase him away from it, and I will appoint over it whoever is ^(EK)chosen. For who is ^(EL)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd ^(EM)who can stand against Me?”

²⁰Therefore hear the ^(EN)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Edom, and His purposes which He has in mind against the inhabitants of Teman: they will certainly drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; He will certainly make their pasture ^(EO)desolate because of them. ²¹The ^(EP)earth has quaked at the noise of their downfall. There is an outcry! The noise of it has been heard at the ^[aq]Red Sea. ²²Behold, ^[ar]He will mount up and ^(EQ)swoop like an eagle, and spread out His wings ^[as]against Bozrah; and the ^(ER)hearts of the warriors of Edom on that day will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

Prophecy against Damascus

²³Concerning ^(ES)Damascus:
“^(ET)Hamath and ^(EU)Arpad are put to shame,
For they have heard bad news;
They ^(EV)despair.
There is anxiety at the sea,
It ^(EW)cannot be calmed.
²⁴Damascus has become helpless;
She has turned away to flee,
And panic has gripped her;
^(EX)Distress and labor pains have seized her
Like a woman in childbirth.
²⁵How the ^(EY)city of praise has not been deserted,
The town of My joy!
²⁶Therefore, her ^(EZ)young men will fall in her streets,
And all the men of war will perish on that day,” declares the Lord of armies.
²⁷“I will ^(FA)set fire to the wall of Damascus,
And it will devour the fortified palace of ^(FB)Ben-hadad.”

Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor

²⁸Concerning ^(FC)Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated. This is what the Lord says:

“Arise, go up to Kedar
And devastate the ^[at]^(FD)people of the east.
²⁹They will take away their tents and their flocks;
They will carry off for themselves
Their tent ^(FE)curtains, all their goods and their ^(FF)camels,
And they will call out to one another, ‘^(FG)Horror on every side!’
³⁰Run away, flee! Dwell in the depths,
You inhabitants of Hazor,” declares the Lord;
“For ^(FH)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has formed a plan against you
And devised a scheme against you.
³¹Arise, go up against a nation which is ^(FI)at ease,
Which lives securely,” declares the Lord.
“It has ^(FJ)no gates or bars;
They ^(FK)dwell alone.
³²Their camels will become plunder,
And their many livestock for spoils,
And I will ^(FL)scatter to all the winds those who ^(FM)cut the corners of their hair;
And I will bring their disaster from every side,” declares the Lord.
³³“Hazor will become a ^(FN)haunt of jackals,
A desolation forever;
No one will live there,
Nor will ^[au]anyone of mankind reside in it.”

Prophecy against Elam

³⁴The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning ^(FO)Elam, ^(FP)at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:

³⁵“This is what the Lord of armies says:
‘Behold, I am going to ^(FQ)break the bow of Elam,
The ^[av]finest of their might.
³⁶I will bring upon Elam the ^(FR)four winds
From the four ends of heaven,
And will ^(FS)scatter them to all these winds;
And there will be no nation
To which the outcasts of Elam will not go.
³⁷So I will ^[aw]shatter Elam before their enemies
And before those who seek their lives;
And I will ^(FT)bring disaster upon them,
Even My ^(FU)fierce anger,’ declares the Lord,
‘And I will ^(FV)send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
³⁸Then I will set My throne in Elam,
And eliminate from there the king and officials,’
Declares the Lord.
³⁹‘But it will come about in the last days
That I will ^(FW)restore the fortunes of Elam,’”
Declares the Lord.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 47:1 Lit struck
Jeremiah 47:3 Lit stamping of the
Jeremiah 47:3 Lit mighty ones
Jeremiah 47:7 Lit you
Jeremiah 48:1 Or dismayed
Jeremiah 48:2 Heb Madmen; i.e., a city of Moab
Jeremiah 48:5 Lit distresses of outcry
Jeremiah 48:9 Or salt
Jeremiah 48:9 Or fall in ruins
Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his
Jeremiah 48:11 Lit his flavor has stayed in him
Jeremiah 48:12 Lit their
Jeremiah 48:15 Lit one has
Jeremiah 48:15 Lit her
Jeremiah 48:15 I.e., warriors
Jeremiah 48:17 Or rod
Jeremiah 48:20 Or dismayed
Jeremiah 48:26 Or magnified himself against
Jeremiah 48:26 Lit vomit in his vomit
Jeremiah 48:27 Or found
Jeremiah 48:29 Lit elevation of his heart
Jeremiah 48:31 Another reading is He
Jeremiah 48:34 Lit given forth
Jeremiah 48:35 Or offers up in smoke
Jeremiah 48:38 Lit all of it is mourning
Jeremiah 48:39 Or terrified
Jeremiah 48:42 Or magnified himself against
Jeremiah 48:45 Lit sons of uproar
Jeremiah 48:47 Lit end of the days
Jeremiah 49:1 In 1 Kin 11:5, 33 and Zeph 1:5, Milcom
Jeremiah 49:3 See note v 1
Jeremiah 49:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Jeremiah 49:5 Lit each one before him
Jeremiah 49:8 Or brought
Jeremiah 49:8 Or punished
Jeremiah 49:10 Lit seed
Jeremiah 49:10 Or relatives
Jeremiah 49:11 Or fatherless
Jeremiah 49:12 Lit whose judgment was not to
Jeremiah 49:16 Or Sela
Jeremiah 49:17 Or whistle
Jeremiah 49:18 Lit a son of man
Jeremiah 49:21 Lit Sea of Reeds
Jeremiah 49:22 Or one
Jeremiah 49:22 Or over
Jeremiah 49:28 Lit sons
Jeremiah 49:33 Lit a son of man
Jeremiah 49:35 Lit first
Jeremiah 49:37 Or dismay

Psalm 80

New American Standard Bible

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

For the music director; set to ^[a]El Shoshannim; ^[b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.

80 Listen, ^(A)Shepherd of Israel,
Who leads ^(B)Joseph like a flock;
You who ^(C)are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
²Before ^(D)Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, ^(E)awaken Your power,
And come to save us!
³God, ^(F)restore us
And ^(G)make Your face shine upon us, ^[c]and we will be saved.

⁴^(H)Lord God of armies,
^(I)How long will You ^[d]be angry with the prayer of Your people?
⁵You have fed them with the ^(J)bread of tears,
And You have made them drink tears in ^[e]large measure.
⁶You make us ^[f]an object of contention ^(K)to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
⁷God of armies, restore us
And make Your face shine upon us, ^[g]and we will be saved.

⁸You removed a ^(L)vine from Egypt;
You ^(M)drove out the ^[h]nations and ^(N)planted it.
⁹You ^(O)cleared the ground before it,
And it ^(P)took deep root and filled the land.
¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And ^[i]the cedars of God with its ^(Q)branches.
¹¹It was sending out its branches ^(R)to the sea
And its shoots to the Euphrates River.
¹²Why have You ^(S)broken down its ^[j]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
¹³A boar from the forest ^(T)eats it away,
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.

¹⁴God of armies, do ^(U)turn back;
^(V)Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
¹⁵The ^[k]^(W)shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And of the ^[l]son whom You have ^[m]strengthened for Yourself.
¹⁶It is ^(X)burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish from the ^(Y)rebuke of Your face.
¹⁷Let ^(Z)Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You ^(AA)made strong for Yourself.
¹⁸Then we will not ^(AB)turn back from You;
^(AC)Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
¹⁹Lord God of armies, ^(AD)restore us;
Make Your face shine upon us, ^[n]and we will be saved.

Footnotes

Psalm 80 Title Possibly, to the Lilies
Psalm 80 Title Lit A testimony
Psalm 80:3 Or that we may
Psalm 80:4 Lit smoke against
Psalm 80:5 Lit a third part of a
Psalm 80:6 Lit strife to
Psalm 80:7 Or that we may
Psalm 80:8 Or Gentiles
Psalm 80:10 Or its boughs are like the cedars of God
Psalm 80:12 Or walls, fences
Psalm 80:15 Or root
Psalm 80:15 Or figuratively: branch
Psalm 80:15 Or secured
Psalm 80:19 Or that we may

2 Peter 2

New American Standard Bible

The Appearance of False Prophets

2 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. ²Many will follow their ^(I)indecent behavior, and because of them ^(J)the way of the truth will be ^(K)maligned; ³and 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.

⁴For ^(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; ⁵and 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; ⁶and 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; ⁷and if He ^(X)rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the ^(Y)perverted conduct of ^[e]^(Z)unscrupulous people ⁸(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), ⁹^(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, ¹⁰and 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. ¹²But ^(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, ¹³suffering 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, ¹⁴having eyes full of adultery ^[m]that never cease from sin, ^(AP)enticing ^(AQ)unstable souls, having hearts trained in ^(AR)greed, ^(AS)accursed children; ¹⁵abandoning ^(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; ¹⁶but he received a rebuke for his own offense, ^(AW)for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.

¹⁷These are ^(AX)springs without water and mists driven by a storm, ^(AY)for whom the ^[o]black darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸For, 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, ¹⁹promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for ^(BE)by what anyone is overcome, by this he is enslaved. ²⁰For 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.”