2 Peter 2
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be among you lying teachers, who will introduce divisions of perdition, and they will deny him who bought them, the Lord, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
However, there were also false prophets among the people, just as, indeed, there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Owner who bought them (bringing on themselves swift destruction).
2 And many persons will follow their indulgences; through such persons, the way of truth will be blasphemed.
And many will follow their licentious ways, because of which the way of the Truth will be defamed.
3 And in avarice, they will negotiate about you with false words. Their judgment, in the near future, is not delayed, and their perdition does not sleep.
And in covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; since way back the judgment for such people is not slack, and their destruction will not sleep.
4 For God did not spare those Angels who sinned, but instead delivered them, as if dragged down by infernal ropes, into the torments of the underworld, to be reserved unto judgment. (Tartaroō g5020)
Because if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but delivered them into chains of darkness, confining them in Tartarus to be reserved for judgment, (Tartaroō g5020)
5 And he did not spare the original world, but he preserved the eighth one, Noah, the herald of justice, bringing the flood upon the world of the impious.
and did not spare the ancient world but preserved Noah, with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when He brought a flood on the world of the ungodly,
6 And he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, condemning them to be overthrown, setting them as an example to anyone who might act impiously.
and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes (providing a warning to those who are intent on being ungodly),
7 And he rescued a just man, Lot, who was oppressed by the unjust and lewd behavior of the wicked.
while He rescued upright Lot, who was distressed by the licentious lifestyle of the wicked
8 For in seeing and in hearing, he was just, though he lived with those who, from day to day, crucified the just soul with works of iniquity.
(for that upright man, dwelling among them, tormented an upright soul from day to day by seeing and hearing lawless deeds)
9 Thus, the Lord knows how to rescue the pious from trials, and how to reserve the iniquitous for torments on the day of judgment;
—then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of testings and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
10 even more so, those who walk after the flesh in unclean desires, and who despise proper authority. Boldly pleasing themselves, they do not dread to introduce divisions by blaspheming;
and especially those who go after the flesh in the lust for defilement, and despise authority. They are audacious, self-willed; they are not afraid to revile majestic beings,
11 whereas the Angels, who are greater in strength and virtue, did not bring against themselves such a deplorable judgment.
whereas angels, though being greater in might and power, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
12 Yet truly, these others, like irrational beasts, naturally fall into traps and into ruin by blaspheming whatever they do not understand, and so they shall perish in their corruption,
But these, as unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct made to be caught and destroyed, spouting off in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed by their own depravity,
13 receiving the reward of injustice, the fruition of valuing the delights of the day: defilements and stains, overflowing with self-indulgences, taking pleasure in their feasts with you,
receiving the wages of unrighteousness. Counting it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime, they are stains and blemishes, reveling in their own deceptions while they feast with you,
14 having eyes full of adultery and of incessant offenses, luring unstable souls, having a heart well-trained in avarice, sons of curses!
having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls; having a heart trained in greediness they are children of a curse;
15 Abandoning the straight path, they wandered astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of iniquity.
having forsaken the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 Yet truly, he had a correction of his madness: the mute animal under the yoke, which, by speaking with a human voice, forbid the folly of the prophet.
but he got a rebuke for his wrongdoing—a mute donkey speaking with a human voice restrained the insanity of the prophet.
17 These ones are like fountains without water, and like clouds stirred up by whirlwinds. For them, the mist of darkness is reserved.
These are waterless springs, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackest of the darkness has been reserved forever. (questioned)
18 For, speaking with the arrogance of vanity, they lure, by the desires of fleshly pleasures, those who are fleeing to some extent, who are being turned from error,
Because speaking pompous words of emptiness they entice through fleshly lusts, through licentiousness, those who have actually escaped from those who are living in error,
19 promising them freedoms, while they themselves are the servants of corruption. For by whatever a man is overcome, of this also is he the servant.
promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
20 For if, after taking refuge from the defilements of the world in the understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled and overcome by these things, then the latter state becomes worse than the former.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the real knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter circumstances have become worse for them than the first ones.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of justice than, after acknowledging it, to turn away from that holy commandment which was handed on to them.
For it would have been better for them not to have really known the way of the righteousness, than having really known it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 For the truth of the proverb has happened to them: The dog has returned to his own vomit, and the washed sow has returned to her wallowing in the mud.
But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a dog returns to its own vomit and a bathed sow to wallowing in mud.
