1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord Who bought them, and in so doing, will bring swift destruction upon themselves. 2And many will follow their depraved behavior, and because of these false teachers, the way of truth shall be maligned and doubted by some. 3For in their greed, these false teachers shall fabricate clever lies, designed to exploit you and satisfy their greed for money. Their judgment has been hanging over them for a long time; and their destruction shall not delay.

4For if God did not spare even the angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, and put them in chains of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5And He did not spare those of the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when He brought the flood upon the ungodly of the world; 6And He also turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, making them an example to those that thereafter should live ungodly; 7But He rescued just Lot, vexed with the filthy lifestyle of the wicked; 8(For that righteous man who lived among them, was distressed by what he saw and heard from day to day of their lewd behavior), 9The Lord knows how to rescue the godly, even while reserving the punishment of the unjust until their day of judgment; 10This is especially true of those that pursue their own perverted sexual passions, and despise authority. They are bold, presumptuous, arrogant, self-willed, and do not hesitate to slander dignities (perhaps celestial, heavenly or supernatural beings). 11While angels, who are stronger and more powerful than they, would not dare to pronounce a railing accusation against them (such beings) before the Lord. 12But these perverted people (of verse 10), like unthinking brute beasts, destined to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they do not understand, and they shall die in their own corruption, 13And shall be rewarded for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you, delighting in their deception as they feast with you; 14Having eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; seducing unstable and gullible souls; they are experts in greed - an accursed lot! 15They have forsaken the way of truth, and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, son of Beor (Bezer), who loved the wages of wickedness, 16Balaam was rebuked (reprimanded) for his iniquity by none other than his normally mute donkey, that spoke with a man's voice, thwarting the madness of Balaam’s intent. 17People like Balaam are like wells without water, clouds that are blown by a tempest; doomed for an eternity of the blackest of darkness. 18For they speak lofty sounding words by which they appeal to those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of error and deception. 19They promise them liberty, but they, themselves, are slaves to depravity; for a man is slave to whatever controls him. 20For if, after they have just escaped the corruption of the world by knowing the Lord, Jesus Christ, they again become entangled and enslaved in it, their latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from and reject the commandment to live a holy life that was delivered to them. 22Of them the proverbs, “The dog returns to his own vomit.” (Prov.26:1), and “A washed pig returns to her wallowing in the mud.” are sadly true.