Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

2 But prophets who were not true were also among the people of Israel. Also there will be teachers who will not be true among you. They will bring in wrong teaching that leads to death. They will even say that they do not belong to the Master who bought them. And so they will quickly bring themselves to death.

² Many people will do the same wrong things they do. And because of them, men will say wrong things about the true way.

³ Because they are greedy for money, they will trick you with lies. For a long time God has planned to punish them. They will be punished at the right time.

⁴ God punished the angels who did wrong. He put them into the darkest part of hell. They must be kept there until the time when they will be judged.

⁵ In the days long ago, God punished the world. But he saved Noah who told people what was right. And God saved seven other people. But he made water cover the world full of bad people.

⁶ God burned up the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He punished them so that no cities were left. He did this to show what would happen to bad people.

⁷ But God saved Lot out of the trouble. Lot was a good man. He did not like the wrong way the bad people lived.

⁸ That good man lived among the bad people and he saw and heard what they did. Day after day, the bad things they did troubled his heart because he was a good man.

⁹ The Lord knows how to save good people out of the trouble that tests them. And he knows how to keep bad people until the day when he will judge them. And they are being punished even now.

¹⁰ Most of all, he will punish people who do the wrong things they want to do and who will not obey the men who rule over them. They are very bold and proud. They do not fear to say wrong things about those who are great, even about the angels.