1 And also were there false prophets among the people, as also among you shall be false teachers, who shall privately bring in doctrines of perdition, and denying the master having purchased them, having brought upon themselves swift destruction.
2 (And many shall follow their licentiousness; by whom the way of truth shall be defamed.)
3 And by covetousness with feigned words shall trade in you: to whom judgment since a long while is not inactive, and their perdition sleeps not.
4 For if God spared not the angels having sinned, but delivered up, hurled into Tartarus, to cords of darkness, having been kept for judgment;
5 And spared not the old world, but Noah the eighth, a herald of justice, he watched, having brought an inundation upon the world of the irreligious;
6 And the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha having reduced to ashes, condemned with a catastrophe, a pattern set to them about to act irreligiously;
7 And just Lot, being harassed by the licentiousness of the lawless for the turning back, he delivered:
8 (For the just one in seeing and hearing, dwelling among them, from day to day tried the just soul with lawless works;)
9 The Lord knows to deliver the religious out of temptation, and to keep the unjust restrained for the day of judgment;
10 And chiefly them going after the flesh in eager desire of defilement, and despising dominion. Self-sufficient, rash men, they tremble not, defaming glories.
11 Where angels, being greater in strength and power, bring not defaming judgment against them to the Lord.
12 But these, as natural irrational living creatures, having been for catching and destroying, defaming in what things they are ignorant of; and shall be destroyed in their corruption;
13 Receiving the reward of injustice, deeming luxurious indulgence pleasure in the day. Spots and blemishes, rioting in their deceits, feasting together with you
14 Having eyes full of an adulteress, not ceasing from sin; decoying unstable souls: having a heart exercised with covetousness; children of a curse:
15 Having forsaken the straight way, they were led astray, having followed in the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the reward of injustice;
16 And he had reprehension for his own iniquity: the dumb ass speaking in man's voice impeded the insanity of the prophet.
17 These are fountains wanting water, clouds impelled by a hurricane; for whom the obscurity of darkness has been kept forever.
18 For speaking excessive things of vanity, they decoy with the eager desires of the flesh, for licentiousness, them having truly escaped from those turned back in error.
19 Promising them liberty, they being servants of corruption: for by whom any is conquered, by him has he been made to serve.
20 For if having escaped the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and again entangling with these, they be conquered, the last things have been to them worse than the first.
21 For it was better for them not to have known the way of justice, than, having known, to turn back from the holy command delivererd to them.
22 And that of the true proverb has happened to them, The dog having turned back to his own vomit; and the sow having been washed to the rolling of the mire.