^{1 Ref} And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction,

^{2 Ref} and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of,

^{3 Ref} and in covetousness, with moulded words, of you they shall make merchandise, whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction doth not slumber.

^{4 Ref} For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast `them' down to Tartarus, did deliver `them' to judgment, having been reserved,

^{5 Ref} and the old world did not spare, but the eighth person, Noah, of righteousness a preacher, did keep, a flood on the world of the impious having brought,

^{6 Ref} and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having turned to ashes, with an overthrow did condemn, an example to those about to be impious having set `them';

^{7 Ref} and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue,

^{8 Ref} for in seeing and hearing, the righteous man, dwelling among them, day by day the righteous soul with unlawful works was harassing.

^{9 Ref} The Lord hath known to rescue pious ones out of temptation, and unrighteous ones to a day of judgment, being punished, to keep,

^{10 Ref} and chiefly those going behind the flesh in desire of uncleanness, and lordship despising; presumptuous, self-complacent, dignities they are not afraid to speak evil of,

^{11 Ref} whereas messengers, in strength and power being greater, do not bear against them before the Lord an evil speaking judgment;

^{12 Ref} and these, as irrational natural beasts, made to be caught and destroyed -- in what things they are ignorant of, speaking evil -- in their destruction shall be destroyed,

^{13 Ref} about to receive a reward of unrighteousness, pleasures counting the luxury in the day, spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you,

^{14 Ref} having eyes full of adultery, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having an heart exercised in covetousnesses, children of a curse,

^{15 Ref} having forsaken a right way, they did go astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the `son' of Bosor, who a reward of unrighteousness did love,

^{16 Ref} and had a rebuke of his own iniquity -- a dumb ass, in man's voice having spoken, did forbid the madness of the prophet.

^{17 Ref} These are wells without water, and clouds by a tempest driven, to whom the thick gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept;

^{18 Ref} for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh -- lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error,

^{19 Ref} liberty to them promising, themselves being servants of the corruption, for by whom any one hath been overcome, to this one also he hath been brought to servitude,

^{20 Ref} for, if having escaped from the pollutions of the world, in the acknowledging of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and by these again being entangled, they have been overcome, become to them hath the last things worse than the first,

^{21 Ref} for it were better to them not to have acknowledged the way of the righteousness, than having acknowledged `it', to turn back from the holy command delivered to them,

^{22 Ref} and happened to them hath that of the true similitude; `A dog did turn back upon his own vomit,' and, `A sow having bathed herself -- to rolling in mire.'

^{1 Ref} But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.

^{2 Ref} And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.

^{3 Ref} And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.

^{4 Ref} For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged;

^{5 Ref} And did not have mercy on the world which then was, but only kept safe Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he let loose the waters over the world of the evil-doers;

^{6 Ref} And sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, burning them up with fire as an example to those whose way of life might in the future be unpleasing to him;

^{7 Ref} And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers

^{8 Ref} (Because the soul of that upright man living among them was pained from day to day by seeing and hearing their crimes):

^{9 Ref} The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;

^{10 Ref} But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places:

^{11 Ref} Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord.

^{12 Ref} But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others;

^{13 Ref} For the evil which overtakes them is the reward of their evil-doing: such men take their pleasure in the delights of the flesh even in the daytime; they are like the marks of a disease, like poisoned wounds among you, feasting together with you in joy;

^{14 Ref} Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy;

^{15 Ref} Turning out of the true way, they have gone wandering in error, after the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was pleased to take payment for wrongdoing;

^{16 Ref} But his wrongdoing was pointed out to him: an ass, talking with a man's voice, put a stop to the error of the prophet.

^{17 Ref} These are fountains without water, and mists before a driving storm; for whom the eternal night is kept in store.

^{18 Ref} For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;

^{19 Ref} Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him.

^{20 Ref} For if, after they have got free from the unclean things of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again taken in the net and overcome, their last condition is worse than their first.

^{21 Ref} For it would have been better for them to have had no knowledge of the way of righteousness, than to go back again from the holy law which was given to them, after having knowledge of it.

^{22 Ref} They are an example of that true saying, The dog has gone back to the food it had put out, and the pig which had been washed to its rolling in the dirty earth.

^{1 Ref} But there also arose false prophets among the people, as among you also there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.

^{2 Ref} Many will follow their immoral{TR reads "destructive" instead of "immoral"} ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.

^{3 Ref} In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn't linger, and their destruction will not slumber.

^{4 Ref} For if God didn't spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus{Tartarus is another name for Hell}, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved to judgment;

^{5 Ref} and didn't 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 Ref} and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly;

^{7 Ref} and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked

^{8 Ref} (for that righteous man dwelling among them, was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds):

^{9 Ref} the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment;

^{10 Ref} but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries;

^{11 Ref} whereas angels, though greater in might and power, don't bring a railing judgment against them before the Lord.

^{12 Ref} But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,

^{13 Ref} receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you;

^{14 Ref} having eyes full of adultery, and who can't cease from sin; enticing unsettled souls; having a heart trained in greed; children of cursing;

^{15 Ref} forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrong-doing;

^{16 Ref} but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with man's voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.

^{17 Ref} These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.

^{18 Ref} For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error;

^{19 Ref} promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for by whom a man is overcome, by the same is he also brought into bondage.

^{20 Ref} For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state has become worse with them than the first.

^{21 Ref} For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

^{22 Ref} But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, "The dog turns to his own vomit again," and "the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire."