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

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

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.

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 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;

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 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;

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 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;

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 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;

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 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:

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 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;

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 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.

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 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.

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

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;

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 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;

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 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:

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.”