1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be afalse teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction1 does not slumber.
Doom of False Teachers
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to1 hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, oneof eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
6 and turning the cities of aSodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
7 and adelivered righteous Lot, whowas oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, atormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—
9thenathe Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
10 and especially athose who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. bTheyare presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of1 dignitaries,
11 whereas aangels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
Depravity of False Teachers
12 But these, alike 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,
13aand will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure bto carouse in the daytime. cTheyare spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while dthey feast with you,
14 having eyes full of1 adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. aThey have a heart trained in covetous practices, andare accursed children.
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of aBalaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17aThese are wells without water,1 clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness2 forever.
Deceptions of False Teachers
18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who1 have actually escaped from those who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of1 corruption; afor by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into2 bondage.
20 For if, after they ahave escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are bagain entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For ait 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 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: a“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
But there were false prophets also - As well as true. Among the people - Of Israel. Those that spake even the truth, when God had not sent them; and also those that were truly sent of him, and yet corrupted or softened their message, were false prophets. As there shall be false - As well as true. Teachers among you, who will privately briny in - Into the church. Destructive heresies - They first, by denying the Lord, introduced destructive heresies, that is, divisions; or they occasioned first these divisions, and then were given up to a reprobate mind, even to deny the Lord that bought them. Either the heresies are the effect of denying the Lord, or the denying the Lord was the consequence of the heresies. Even denying - Both by their doctrine and their works. The Lord that bought them - With his own blood. Yet these very men perish everlastingly. Therefore Christ bought even them that perish.
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