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.
Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness. His love was not for God, for truth, or for anything that is good and righteous. His love was for wages that derived from sin. He was a thoroughly evil character with an effective façade.
The apostle says false prophets have "eyes full of adultery." While this may apply literally, it can also more generally describe unfaithfulness—a willingness to abandon an agreement if they feel it is in their interest to do so. They also worry little about resisting sin. Their hearts are especially trained in covetousness, and like Balaam, they are willing to do just about anything for personal gain.
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