1 B ut there were false prophets also among the people, as there shall be also among you false teachers, who shall bring in by the bye destructive heresies, and deny the master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction;

But there were false teachers among the people. And there will be false teachers among you also. These people will work in secret ways to bring false teaching to you. They will turn against Christ Who bought them with His blood. They bring fast death on themselves.

2 a nd many shall follow their dissolute ways, through whom the way of the truth shall be blasphemed.

Many people will follow their wrong ways. Because of what they do, people will speak bad things against the way of truth.

3 A nd through covetousness, with well-turned words, will they make merchandise of you: for whom judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction slumbers not.

They will tell lies and false stories so they can use you to get things for themselves. But God judged them long ago and their death is on the way.

4 F or if God spared not angels who had sinned, but having cast them down to the deepest pit of gloom has delivered them to chains of darkness kept for judgment;

God did not hold back from punishing the angels who sinned, but sent them down to hell. They are to be kept there in the deep hole of darkness until they stand before Him Who judges them.

5 a nd spared not old world, but preserved Noe, eighth, a preacher of righteousness, having brought in flood upon world of ungodly;

God did not hold back from punishing the people of the world who sinned long ago. He brought the flood on the world of sinners. But Noah was a preacher of right living. He and his family of seven were the only ones God saved.

6 a nd having reduced cities of Sodom and Gomorrha to ashes, condemned with an overthrow, setting an example to those that should live an ungodly life;

God said that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty, and He destroyed them with fire. This was to show people who did not worship God what would happen to them.

7 a nd saved righteous Lot, distressed with the abandoned conversation of the godless,

Lot was taken away from Sodom because he was right with God. He had been troubled by the sins that bad men did in wild living.

8 ( for the righteous man through seeing and hearing, dwelling among them, tormented righteous soul day after day with lawless works,)

He saw and heard how the people around him broke the Law. Everyday his own soul which was right with God was troubled because of their sinful ways.

9 L ord knows to deliver the godly out of trial, and to keep unjust to day of judgment punished;

But the Lord knows how to help men who are right with God when they are tempted. He also knows how to keep the sinners suffering for their wrong-doing until the day they stand before God Who will judge them.

10 a nd specially those who walk after the flesh in lust of uncleanness, and despise lordship. Bold, self-willed; they do not fear speaking injuriously of dignities:

This is true about those who keep on wanting to please their own bodies in sinful desires and those who will not obey laws. They want to please themselves and are not afraid when they laugh and say bad things about the powers in heaven.

11 w hen angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring against them, before the Lord, an injurious charge.

Angels are greater in strength and power than they. But angels do not speak against these powers before the Lord.

12 B ut these, as natural animals without reason, made to be caught and destroyed, speaking injuriously in things they are ignorant of, shall also perish in their own corruption,

Men like this are like animals who are not able to think but are born to be caught and killed. They speak bad words against that which they do not understand. They will die in their own sinful ways.

13 r eceiving reward of unrighteousness; accounting ephemeral indulgence pleasure; spots and blemishes, rioting in their own deceits, feasting with you;

This is the pay they will suffer for their sinful lives. They are not ashamed when they sin in the daylight. They are sores and dirty spots among you while they eat and drink big meals with you.

14 h aving eyes full of adultery, and that cease not from sin, alluring unestablished souls; having a heart practised in covetousness, children of curse;

Their eyes are full of sex sins. They never have enough sin. They get weak people to go along with them. Their hearts are always wanting something. They are people who will end up in hell because

15 h aving left straight way they have gone astray, having followed in the path of Balaam of Bosor, who loved reward of unrighteousness;

they have left the right way and have gone the wrong way. They have followed the way of Balaam, who was the son of Beor. He loved the money he got for his sin.

16 b ut had reproof of his own wickedness— dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the folly of the prophet.

But he was stopped in his sin. A donkey spoke to him with a man’s voice. It stopped this early preacher from going on in his crazy way.

17 T hese are springs without water, and mists driven by storm, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved.

Such people are like wells without water. They are like clouds before a storm. The darkest place below has been kept for them.

18 F or speaking great highflown words of vanity, they allure with lusts of flesh, by dissoluteness, those who have just fled those who walk in error,

They speak big-sounding words which show they are proud. They get men who are trying to keep away from sinful men to give in to the sinful desires of the flesh.

19 p romising them liberty, while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a man is subdued, by him is he also brought into slavery.

They promise that these men will be free. But they themselves are chained to sin. For a man is chained to anything that has power over him.

20 F or if after having escaped the pollutions of the world through knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, again entangled, they are subdued by these, their last state is worse than the first.

There are men who have been made free from the sins of the world by learning to know the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. But if they do these sins again, and are not able to keep from doing them, they are worse than they were before.

21 F or it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.

After knowing the holy Law that was given to them, they turned from it. It would have been better for them if they had not known how to be right with God.

22 B ut that of the true proverb has happened to them: dog turned back to his own vomit; and, washed sow to rolling in mud.

They are like the wise saying, “A dog turns back to what he has thrown up.” And, “A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud.”