¹⁰ —especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust and who despise authority.

Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones,^{[a](A) 11} whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment.^{[b] 12} These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and as those creatures are destroyed,^[c] they also will be destroyed, ¹³ suffering^[d] the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures^[e] while they feast with you.^{(B) 14} They have eyes full of adultery,^[f] insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! ¹⁵ They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor,^[g] who loved the wages of doing wrong^{(C) 16} but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

¹⁷ These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved.^{(D) 18} For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with debased^[h] desires of the flesh they entice people who have just^[i] escaped from those who live in error.

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.^{(A) 7} Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”^{(B) 8} We must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.^(C)

The Idolatry of Israel

Worship of Baal of Peor

25 While Israel was staying at Shittim, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab.^{(A) 2} These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.^{(B) 3} Thus Israel yoked itself to the Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel.^{(C) 4} The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and impale them in the sun before the Lord, in order that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”^{(D) 5} And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you shall kill any of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Just then one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman into his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the Israelites, while they were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

⁷ Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust,^[a] serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.^(A)

⁸ Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones.^{[b](B) 9} But when the archangel Michael disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander^[c] against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”^{(C) 10} But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain and perish in Korah’s rebellion.^{(D) 12} These are blots^[d] on your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves.^[e] They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;^{(E) 13} wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever.^(F)