1 And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction, 2 and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of, 3 and in covetousness, with moulded words, of you they shall make merchandise, whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction doth not slumber. 4 For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast [them] down to Tartarus, did deliver [them] to judgment, having been reserved, 5 and the old world did not spare, but the eighth person, Noah, of righteousness a preacher, did keep, a flood on the world of the impious having brought, 6 and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah having turned to ashes, with an overthrow did condemn, an example to those about to be impious having set [them]; 7 and righteous Lot, worn down by the conduct in lasciviousness of the impious, He did rescue, 8 for in seeing and hearing, the righteous man, dwelling among them, day by day the righteous soul with unlawful works was harassing. 9 The Lord hath known to rescue pious ones out of temptation, and unrighteous ones to a day of judgment, being punished, to keep, 10 and chiefly those going behind the flesh in desire of uncleanness, and lordship despising; presumptuous, self-complacent, dignities they are not afraid to speak evil of, 11 whereas messengers, in strength and power being greater, do not bear against them before the Lord an evil speaking judgment; 12 and these, as irrational natural beasts, made to be caught and destroyed — in what things they are ignorant of, speaking evil — in their destruction shall be destroyed, 13 about to receive a reward of unrighteousness, pleasures counting the luxury in the day, spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having an heart exercised in covetousnesses, children of a curse, 15 having forsaken a right way, they did go astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the [son] of Bosor, who a reward of unrighteousness did love, 16 and had a rebuke of his own iniquity — a dumb ass, in man's voice having spoken, did forbid the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water, and clouds by a tempest driven, to whom the thick gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept; 18 for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh — lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error, 19 liberty to them promising, themselves being servants of the corruption, for by whom any one hath been overcome, to this one also he hath been brought to servitude, 20 for, if having escaped from the pollutions of the world, in the acknowledging of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and by these again being entangled, they have been overcome, become to them hath the last things worse than the first, 21 for it were better to them not to have acknowledged the way of the righteousness, than having acknowledged [it], to turn back from the holy command delivered to them, 22 and happened to them hath that of the true similitude; 'A dog did turn back upon his own vomit,' and, 'A sow having bathed herself — to rolling in mire.'
2 Peter · Young's Literal Translation
2 Peter 2 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Matthew 7:15; Jude 4; Deuteronomy 13:1–3; 2 Timothy 4:3; Matthew 24:11
- 2 Romans 2:24; Jude 10; Matthew 24:24; 2 Peter 2:15; Titus 2:8
- 3 2 Corinthians 2:17; Romans 16:18; Deuteronomy 32:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:5; Jude 15
- 4 Jude 6; Matthew 25:41; Romans 8:32; Revelation 20:1–3; Revelation 12:7–9
- 5 2 Peter 3:6; Hebrews 11:7; Luke 17:26–27; Jude 14–15; 1 Peter 3:19–20
- 6 Jude 7; Luke 17:28–30; Deuteronomy 29:23; Genesis 19:24–25; Numbers 26:10
- 7 Genesis 19:16; Genesis 19:29; Genesis 19:7–8; Genesis 19:22; Genesis 13:13
- 8 Psalm 119:158; Ezekiel 9:4; Psalm 119:136; 1 Timothy 1:9; Proverbs 25:26
- 9 Psalm 34:15–19; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Revelation 3:10; 2 Timothy 3:12; Jude 14–15
- 10 Jude 16; Jude 10; Exodus 22:28; Jude 18; 2 Peter 3:3
- 11 Jude 9; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Psalm 103:20; Daniel 6:22; Psalm 104:4
- 12 Jude 10; Jeremiah 12:3; Galatians 6:8; 2 Peter 2:19; Psalm 92:6
- 13 Romans 13:13; Romans 2:8–9; Hebrews 2:2–3; Philippians 3:19; Jude 12–16
- 14 2 Peter 2:3; 2 Peter 2:18; Ephesians 2:3; 2 Peter 3:16; Ephesians 4:14
- 15 Revelation 2:14; Jude 11; Deuteronomy 23:4–5; Numbers 31:16; Numbers 22:5–7
- 16 Numbers 22:21–33; Acts 26:11; Luke 16:11; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Ecclesiastes 9:3
- 17 Jude 12–13; Jeremiah 14:3; Ephesians 4:14; Matthew 25:30; 2 Peter 2:4
- 18 2 Peter 2:20; Jude 15–16; Romans 13:13; James 5:5; Revelation 13:5–6
- 19 John 8:34; Romans 6:16–22; Galatians 5:13; Galatians 5:1; 1 Peter 2:16
- 20 Hebrews 10:26–27; Hebrews 6:4–8; Philippians 3:19; Luke 11:24–26; Deuteronomy 32:29
- 21 Ezekiel 18:24; Hebrews 6:4–6; James 4:17; Ezekiel 3:20; Luke 12:47
- 22 Proverbs 26:11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… saved out of Sodom when all the country round was punished by means of fire and brimstone, the Lord thus making it manifest that He does not forsake those that hope in Him, but gives up such as depart from Him to punishment and torture. For Lot's wife, who went forth with him, being of a different mind from himself …
… incarcerated till their final damnation in the day of judgment, the Apostle Peter very plainly declares, when he says that "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved into judgment." Who, then, can doubt that God, either in foreknowledge or in act, separated between these …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… that time have so fallen, nor can I think that it is of them the Apostle Peter said, "For 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." I think he rather speaks of these who first apostatized from God, along with their …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… one who doeth sin is the servant of sin." And thus there are many wicked masters who have religious men as their slaves, and who are yet themselves in bondage; "for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." And beyond question it is a happier thing to be the slave of a man …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)