New Testament · Letters

2 Peter chapter 2

But there were also among the people, just as there will be among you. They’ll sneak in destructive false ideas, even denying the who — bringing swift destruction on themselves.And many will follow their , and because of them will be slandered.Driven by greed, they’ll you with . But their judgment was pronounced long ago, and their destruction is not sleeping.After all, God didn’t spare angels when they , but threw them into the and locked them in , holding them for judgment.And he didn’t spare the ancient world either, but protected Noah — — along with seven others, when he unleashed a flood on a world full of .And he reduced the cities of to ashes, condemning them to total destruction — making them an example of what’s coming for those who reject God.But he rescued Lot, a who was by the reckless lifestyle of lawless people —— because that good man, living among them day after day, was by the lawless things he saw and heard.So you can be sure: the Lord knows how to rescue people who are from their , and how to hold those who do wrong under punishment until the day of judgment —especially those who chase after and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they aren’t afraid to disrespect ,whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, don’t bring against them before the Lord.But these people — like , creatures of pure instinct born to be caught and killed — slander what they don’t understand. They will be destroyed just like those animals,suffering harm as the payback for the harm they’ve caused. They consider it pleasure to . They are , reveling in their deceptions while they feast with you.Their eyes are full of adultery and they . They lure unstable people into their trap. Their hearts are . They’re people living under a curse.They’ve abandoned the straight path and wandered off, following the path of , who loved the .But he was confronted for his own : a donkey that can’t talk spoke with a human voice and stopped the prophet’s .These people are and . The is reserved for them.Because by speaking , they use to lure back people who have from those who live in error.They promise them , but they themselves are — because you become a slave to whatever has you.Because if, after escaping the world’s through knowing our Lord and Jesus , they get in it again and are overpowered, their situation at the end is worse than it was at the beginning.It would have been better for them to have never known than to know it and then turn their backs on that was .What happened to them proves the truth of the proverb: “,” and, “ goes right back to rolling in the mud.”