2 Pedro 2
Bible in Basic English
1But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.
2And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.
3And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.
4For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged;
5And did not have mercy on the world which then was, but only kept safe Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he let loose the waters over the world of the evil-doers;
6And sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, burning them up with fire as an example to those whose way of life might in the future be unpleasing to him;
7And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers
8(Because the soul of that upright man living among them was pained from day to day by seeing and hearing their crimes):
9The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;
10But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places:
11Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord.
12But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others;
13For the evil which overtakes them is the reward of their evil-doing: such men take their pleasure in the delights of the flesh even in the daytime; they are like the marks of a disease, like poisoned wounds among you, feasting together with you in joy;
14Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy;
15Turning out of the true way, they have gone wandering in error, after the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was pleased to take payment for wrongdoing;
16But his wrongdoing was pointed out to him: an ass, talking with a man's voice, put a stop to the error of the prophet.
17These are fountains without water, and mists before a driving storm; for whom the eternal night is kept in store.
18For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;
19Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him.
20For if, after they have got free from the unclean things of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again taken in the net and overcome, their last condition is worse than their first.
21For it would have been better for them to have had no knowledge of the way of righteousness, than to go back again from the holy law which was given to them, after having knowledge of it.
22They are an example of that true saying, The dog has gone back to the food it had put out, and the pig which had been washed to its rolling in the dirty earth.
Reina-Valera 1909
1PERO 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.
2Y muchos seguirán sus disoluciones, por los cuales el camino de la verdad será blasfemado;
3Y 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.
4Porque 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;
5Y 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;
6Y 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;
7Y libró al justo Lot, acosado por la nefanda conducta de los malvados;
8(Porque este justo, con ver y oir, morando entre ellos, afligía cada día su alma justa con los hechos de aquellos injustos;)
9Sabe el Señor librar de tentación á los píos, y reservar á los injustos para ser atormentados en el día del juicio;
10Y 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:
11Como quiera que los mismos ángeles, que son mayores en fuerza y en potencia, no pronuncian juicio de maldición contra ellas delante del Señor.
12Mas éstos, diciendo mal de las cosas que no entienden, como bestias brutas, que naturalmente son hechas para presa y destrucción, perecerán en su perdición,
13Recibiendo 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;
14Teniendo 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;
15Que 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.
16Y fué reprendido por su iniquidad: una muda bestia de carga, hablando en voz de hombre, refrenó la locura del profeta.
17Estos son fuentes sin agua, y nubes traídas de torbellino de viento: para los cuales está guardada la oscuridad de las tinieblas para siempre.
18Porque 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;
19Prometiéndoles libertad, siendo ellos mismos siervos de corrupción. Porque el que es de alguno vencido, es sujeto á la servidumbre del que lo venció.
20Ciertamente, 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.
21Porque 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.
22Pero les ha acontecido lo del verdadero proverbio: El perro se volvió á su vómito, y la puerca lavada á revolcarse en el cieno.
King James Version
1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
10But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
11Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
13And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
14Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
World English Bible
1But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction.
2Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.
3In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
4For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment;
5and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly,
6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way,
7and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked
8(for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds),
9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
10but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, don’t bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord.
12But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed,
13receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and defects, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you;
14having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin, enticing unsettled souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children!
15Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing;
16but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
17These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
18For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error;
19promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.
20For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.
21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”