1 O tira i ara ake ano he poropiti teka i mua i roto i te iwi, he pera me nga kaiwhakaako teka e puta ake a mua i roto i a koutou; ma enei e mau puku mai nga titorehanga whakangaro, he whakakahore na ratou i te Ariki rawa, nana nei ratou i hoko, ka hohoro tonu ta ratou taki mai i te whakangaromanga ki a ratou ano.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 A he tokomaha e aru i a ratou tikanga whakarihariha; ma reira e korerotia kinotia ai te ara o te pono.

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

3 H e apo moni hoki e tito kupu ai ratou kia whai taonga ai ratou i a koutou: nonamata te tukunga mo ratou ki te he, e kore ano e whakaroa; kahore hoki he moe o to ratou whakangaromanga.

By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. Doom of False Teachers

4 M ehemea kihai i tohungia e te Atua nga anahera i hara, engari i peia ratou e ia ki te po, he mea herehere i te waro pouri, he mea tiaki mo te whakawa;

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

5 A kihai i tohungia te ao tawhito, he mea tiaki ia nana a Noa, te kaikauwhau i te tika, ratou ko etahi atu tokowhitu, i tana kawenga mai i te waipuke ki te ao o te hunga karakiakore;

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 A meinga ana nga pa, a Horoma, a Komora, kia pungarehu rawa, ko tana whakataunga he he hurihanga, waiho iho hei tohu ki te hunga e noho karakiakore i nga wa i muri;

and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

7 K o Rota ia, ko te tangata tika, whakaorangia ake e ia, i a ia e whakapouritia ana e nga ritenga whakarihariha a te hunga kino;

and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

8 I taua tangata tika e noho ana i roto i a ratou, mamae a na tona ngakau tika i a ratou mahi kino, i tana i kite ai, i tana i rongo ai i tenei ra, i tenei ra:

(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

9 M atau tonu te Ariki ki te whakaora i te hunga karakia i roto i te whakamatautauranga, kia waiho ko te hunga he mo a te ra whakawa whiu ai;

then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

10 T era rawa ia tana mo te hunga e whai ana i ta te kikokiko, e haere ana i runga i te hiahia poke, e whakahawea ana ki te rangatiratanga; he hunga hikaka, e whai ana i ta ratou ake; kahore hoki e wehi ki te korero kino ki nga tangata nunui.

and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

11 T ena ko nga anahera, ahakoa nui ake to ratou kaha, to ratou mana kahore e puaki i a ratou he kupu whakatoi mo era i te aroaro o te Atua ina whakawa.

whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. Depravity of False Teachers

12 K o era hoki, rite tonu ratou ki te kararehe kahore nei he whakaaro, he mea maori anake, i hanga nei hei hopukanga, hei whakangaromanga, korero kino ana ratou ki nga mea kahore nei e mohiotia e ratou; a ka ngaro i runga i ta ratou tikanga whakama te;

But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

13 K a whiwhi ki te utu o te he; he tangata e ahuareka ana ki te kakai awatea, he ira ratou, he makenu, e ruku ana ki a ratou hakari ngahau i a ratou e hakari tahi ana me koutou;

and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

14 K o o ratou kanohi ki tonu i te puremu, kahore hoki e mutu to ratou hara; e poaina ana e ratou nga hinengaro kahore i u: he ngakau to ratou kua oti te whakamahi ki te apo; he tamariki kua oti te kanga:

having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

15 M ahue ake i a ratou te ara tika, kotiti ke ana ratou, whai tonu ana i te ara o Paraama tama a Peoro, i whakapai nei ki te utu o te he;

They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 O tira i riria ano ia mo tona he: i korero te kararehe reokore, no te tangata te reo, pehia ana e ia te wairangi o te poropiti.

but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

17 H e puna waikore enei tangata, he kapua e akina ana e te tupuhi; pouri kerekere te wahi kua rite mo ratou mo ake tonu atu.

These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Deceptions of False Teachers

18 E korero ana i nga korero tetere rawa, he mea teka noa, ka poaina e ratou ki nga hiahia o te kikokiko, ki nga hiahia taikaha, te hunga e mawhiti mai ana i era e noho ra i roto i te he.

For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19 H e herekore ta ratou e whakaari nei ki a ratou, heoi he pononga ratou na te pirau: ki te taea hoki te tangata e te hoariri, hei pononga ia mana.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

20 K a mawhiti mai nei ratou i nga poke o te ao, i a ratou ka matau nei ki te Ariki, ara ki te Kaiwhakaora, ki a Ihu Karaiti, na ki te rorea ratou, i te hinga rawa i aua mea, kino noa atu to ratou whakamutunga i te timatanga.

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

21 h e pai ke mo ratou me i kore e matau ki te ara o te tika, i te matau a hei muri ka tahuri ke atu i te ture tapu kua tukua nei ki a ratou.

For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 H eoi te tukunga iho ki a ratou rite tonu ki ta te whakatauki pono, Kua hoki te kuri ki tona ruaki; me te poaka i horoi ra, kua okeoke ano i te paru.

But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”