1 B ut also there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies), even denying and disowning the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

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 A nd many will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings; because of them the true Way will be maligned and defamed.

and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of,

3 A nd in their covetousness (lust, greed) they will exploit you with false (cunning) arguments. From of old the sentence for them has not been idle; their destruction (eternal misery) has not been asleep.

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 F or God did not spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.

For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast down to Tartarus, did deliver to judgment, having been reserved,

5 A nd He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly.

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 A nd He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly;

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;

7 A nd He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless—

and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue,

8 F or that just man, living among them, tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of unlawful and wicked deeds—

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

9 N ow if the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom,

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

10 A nd particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn and despise authority. Presumptuous daring! They scoff at and revile dignitaries (glorious ones) without trembling,

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 W hereas angels, though superior in might and power, do not bring a defaming charge against them before the Lord.

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

12 B ut these! Like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed, railing at things of which they are ignorant, they shall utterly perish in their corruption,

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 B eing destined to receive the reward of unrighteousness. They count it a delight to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions and carousing together as they feast with you.

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 T hey have eyes full of harlotry, insatiable for sin. They beguile and bait and lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covetousness (lust, greed), children of a curse '> exposed to cursing]!

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 F orsaking the straight road they have gone astray; they have followed the way of Balaam of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness.

having forsaken a right way, they did go astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the of Bosor, who a reward of unrighteousness did love,

16 B ut he was rebuked for his own transgression when a dumb beast of burden spoke with human voice and checked the prophet’s madness.

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 T hese are springs without water and mists driven along before a tempest, for whom is reserved forever the gloom of darkness.

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 F or uttering loud boasts of folly, they beguile and lure with lustful desires of the flesh those who are barely escaping from them who are wrongdoers.

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 T hey promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity and defilement—for by whatever anyone is made inferior or worse or is overcome, to that he is enslaved.

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 F or if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again become entangled in them and are overcome, their last condition is worse than the first.

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 F or never to have obtained a knowledge of the way of righteousness would have been better for them than, having obtained, to turn back from the holy commandment which was delivered to them.

for it were better to them not to have acknowledged the way of the righteousness, than having acknowledged, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them,

22 T here has befallen them the thing spoken of in the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and, The sow is washed only to wallow again in the mire.

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.'