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11 Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,
    “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!

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11 If a liar and deceiver(A) comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(B)
    that would be just the prophet for this people!(C)

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31 the prophets give false prophecies,
    and the priests rule with an iron hand.
Worse yet, my people like it that way!
    But what will you do when the end comes?

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31 The prophets prophesy lies,(A)
    the priests(B) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?(C)

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10 They tell the seers,
    “Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets,
    “Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things.
    Tell us lies.
11 Forget all this gloom.
    Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your
    ‘Holy One of Israel.’”

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10 They say to the seers,(A)
    “See no more visions(B)!”
and to the prophets,
    “Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,(C)
    prophesy illusions.(D)
11 Leave this way,(E)
    get off this path,
and stop confronting(F) us
    with the Holy One(G) of Israel!”

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13 And I saw three evil[a] spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

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Footnotes

  1. 16:13 Greek unclean.

13 Then I saw three impure spirits(A) that looked like frogs;(B) they came out of the mouth of the dragon,(C) out of the mouth of the beast(D) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(E) 14 They are demonic spirits(F) that perform signs,(G) and they go out to the kings of the whole world,(H) to gather them for the battle(I) on the great day(J) of God Almighty.

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Discerning False Prophets

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

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On Denying the Incarnation

Dear friends,(A) do not believe every spirit,(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(C)

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13 Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception[a] even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals. 14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse. 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor,[b] who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.

17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:13 Some manuscripts read in fellowship meals.
  2. 2:15 Some manuscripts read Bosor.

13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.(A) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[a](B) 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce(C) the unstable;(D) they are experts in greed(E)—an accursed brood!(F) 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam(G) son of Bezer,[b] who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.(H)

17 These people are springs without water(I) and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.(J) 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words(K) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping(L) from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts
  2. 2 Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor

The Danger of False Teachers

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

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False Teachers and Their Destruction

But there were also false prophets(A) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.(B) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord(C) who bought them(D)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct(E) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed(F) these teachers will exploit you(G) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

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Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.

This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

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And then the lawless one will be revealed,(A) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth(B) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.(C) The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan(D) works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders(E) that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.(F) They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.(G) 11 For this reason God sends them(H) a powerful delusion(I) so that they will believe the lie(J)

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19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

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19 Their destiny(A) is destruction, their god is their stomach,(B) and their glory is in their shame.(C) Their mind is set on earthly things.(D)

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13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

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13 For such people are false apostles,(A) deceitful(B) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(C) 14 And no wonder, for Satan(D) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.(E)

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18 Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

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18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ,(A) but their own appetites.(B) By smooth talk and flattery they deceive(C) the minds of naive people.

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11 You rulers make decisions based on bribes;
    you priests teach God’s laws only for a price;
you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid.
    Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.
“No harm can come to us,” you say,
    “for the Lord is here among us.”

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11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(A)
    her priests teach for a price,(B)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(C)
Yet they look(D) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”(E)

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This is what the Lord says:
    “You false prophets are leading my people astray!
You promise peace for those who give you food,
    but you declare war on those who refuse to feed you.

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This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,(A)
they proclaim ‘peace’(B)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.

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