1 P ERO hubo también falsos profetas en el pueblo, como habrá entre vosotros falsos doctores, que introducirán encubiertamente herejías de perdición, y negarán al Señor que los rescató, atrayendo sobre sí mismos perdición acelerada.

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 Y muchos seguirán sus disoluciones, por los cuales el camino de la verdad será blasfemado;

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

3 Y por avaricia harán mercadería de vosotros con palabras fingidas, sobre los cuales la condenación ya de largo tiempo no se tarda, y su perdición no se duerme.

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 P orque si Dios no perdonó á los ángeles que habían pecado, sino que habiéndolos despeñado en el infierno con cadenas de oscuridad, los entregó para ser reservados al juicio;

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 Y si no perdonó al mundo viejo, mas guardó á Noé, pregonero de justicia, con otras siete personas, trayendo el diluvio sobre el mundo de malvados;

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 Y si condenó por destrucción las ciudades de Sodoma y de Gomorra, tornándolas en ceniza, y poniéndolas por ejemplo á los que habían de vivir sin temor y reverencia de Dios,

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 Y libró al justo Lot, acosado por la nefanda conducta de los malvados;

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 ( Porque este justo, con ver y oir, morando entre ellos, afligía cada día su alma justa con los hechos de aquellos injustos;)

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 S abe el Señor librar de tentación á los píos, y reservar á los injustos para ser atormentados en el día del juicio;

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 Y principalmente á aquellos que, siguiendo la carne, andan en concupiscencia é inmundicia, y desprecian la potestad; atrevidos, contumaces, que no temen decir mal de las potestades superiores:

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 C omo quiera que los mismos ángeles, que son mayores en fuerza y en potencia, no pronuncian juicio de maldición contra ellas delante del Señor.

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

12 M as éstos, diciendo mal de las cosas que no entienden, como bestias brutas, que naturalmente son hechas para presa y destrucción, perecerán en su perdición,

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 ecibiendo el galardón de su injusticia, ya que reputan por delicia poder gozar de deleites cada día. Estos son suciedades y manchas, los cuales comiendo con vosotros, juntamente se recrean en sus errores;

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 T eniendo los ojos llenos de adulterio, y no saben cesar de pecar; cebando las almas inconstantes; teniendo el corazón ejercitado en codicias, siendo hijos de maldición;

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 Q ue han dejado el camino derecho, y se han extraviado, siguiendo el camino de Balaam, hijo de Bosor, el cual amó el premio de la maldad.

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 Y fué reprendido por su iniquidad: una muda bestia de carga, hablando en voz de hombre, refrenó la locura del profeta.

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 E stos son fuentes sin agua, y nubes traídas de torbellino de viento: para los cuales está guardada la oscuridad de las tinieblas para siempre.

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

18 P orque hablando arrogantes palabras de vanidad, ceban con las concupiscencias de la carne en disoluciones á los que verdaderamente habían huído de los que conversan en 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 rometiéndoles libertad, siendo ellos mismos siervos de corrupción. Porque el que es de alguno vencido, es sujeto á la servidumbre del que lo venció.

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 C iertamente, si habiéndose ellos apartado de las contaminaciones del mundo, por el conocimiento del Señor y Salvador Jesucristo, y otra vez envolviéndose en ellas, son vencidos, sus postrimerías les son hechas peores que los principios.

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 P orque mejor les hubiera sido no haber conocido el camino de la justicia, que después de haberlo conocido, tornarse atrás del santo mandamiento que les fué dado.

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 P ero les ha acontecido lo del verdadero proverbio: El perro se volvió á su vómito, y la puerca lavada á revolcarse en el cieno.

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.”