Reformation Directory

He prophecieth of false teachers, and shows their punishment.

1.But *there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shalbe false teachers among you: which privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord, that hath bought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation.

2.And many shall follow their ^damnable ways, by whom the way of truth shalbe evil spoken of,

3.And through covetousness shall they with fained words make ^amerchandise of you, whose judgment long agone is not far off, and their damnation slepeth not.

4.For if God spared not the *Angels, that had sinned, but cast them down into hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto damnation:

5.Neither hath spared the old world, but saved *Noe the eight person a preacher of righteousness, and brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly,

6.And *turned the cities of Sodome and Gomorrhe into ashes, condemned them and overthrew them, and made them an example unto them that after should live ungodly,

7.*And delivered just Loth vexed with the uncleanly conversation of the wicked,

8.(For he being righteous, and dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.)

9.The Lord knoweth to deliver the godly out of tentation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

10.And chiefly them that walk after the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness, and despise the government, which are presumptuous, and stand in their own conceit, and fear not to speak evil of them that are in dignity.

11.Where as the Angels which are greater both in power and might, *give not ^brailing judgment against them before the Lord.

12.But these as ^cbrute beasts, led with sensuality and made to be taken, and destroyed, speak evil of those things which they know not, and shall perish through their own corruption.

13.And shall receive the wages of unrighteousness, as they which count it pleasure to live deliciously for a season. Spots they are and blots, ^ddelighting themselves in their deceivings, in feasting with you,

14.Having eyes full of adultery, and that can not cease to sin, beguiling unstable souls: they have hearts exercised with covetousness, cursed children,

15.Which forsaking the right way, have gone astray, following the way of *Balaam, the son of Bosor, which loved the wages of unrighteousness.

16.But he was rebuked for his iniquity: for the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice, forbade the foolishness of the Prophet.

17.*These are wells without water, and ^eclouds carried about with a tempest, to whom the black darkness is reserved for ever.

18.For in speaking swelling words of vanity, they beguile with wantonness through the lusts of the flesh them that were clean escaped from them which are wrapped in error,

19.Promising unto them liberty, and are themselves the *servants of corruption: for of whomsoever a man is overcome, even unto the same is he in bondage.

20.*For if they, after they have escaped from the filthiness of the world, through the ^fknowledge of the Lord, and of the Saviour Jesus Christ, are yet tangled again therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them then the beginning.

21.For it had been better for them, not to have known the way of righteousness, then after they have known it, to turn from the holy ^commandment given unto them.

22.But it is come unto them, according to the true proverb, *The dog is returned to his own vomit: and, The sow that was washed, to the wallowing in the mire.

2 Peter 2

Notes