False Teachers Will Be Destroyed
1But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way there will be false teachers among you. In secret they will bring in teachings that will destroy you. They will even turn against the Lord and Master who died to pay for their sins. So they will quickly destroy themselves. 2Many people will follow their lead. These people will do the same evil things the false teachers do. They will cause people to think badly about the way of truth. 3These teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The God who will destroy them has not been sleeping.
4God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He chained them up in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them. 5God did not spare the world’s ungodly people long ago. He brought the flood on them. But Noah preached about the right way to live. God kept him safe. He also saved seven others. 6God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He burned them to ashes. He made them an example of what is going to happen to ungodly people. 7God saved Lot, a man who did what was right. Lot was shocked by the evil conduct of people who didn’t obey God’s laws. 8That good man lived among them day after day. He saw and heard the evil things they were doing. They were breaking God’s laws. And the godly spirit of Lot was deeply troubled. 9Since all this is true, then the Lord knows how to save godly people. He knows how to keep them safe in times of testing. The Lord also knows how to keep ungodly people under guard. He will do so until the day they will be judged and punished. 10Most of all, this is true of people who follow desires that come from sin’s power. These people hate to be under authority.
They are bold and proud. So they aren’t even afraid to speak evil things against heavenly beings. 11Now angels are stronger and more powerful than these people. But even angels don’t speak evil things against heavenly beings. They don’t do this when they bring judgment on them from the Lord. 12These people speak evil about things they don’t understand. They are like wild animals who can’t think. Instead, they do what comes naturally to them. They are born only to be caught and destroyed. Just like animals, these people too will die.
13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to have wild parties in the middle of the day. They are like dirty spots and stains. They enjoy their sinful pleasures while they eat with you. 14They stare at women who are not their wives. They want to sleep with them. They never stop sinning. They trap those who are not firm in their faith. They have mastered the art of getting what they want. God has placed them under his judgment. 15They have left God’s way. They have wandered off. They follow the way of Balaam, son of Beor. He loved to get paid for doing his evil work. 16But a donkey corrected him for the wrong he did. Animals don’t speak. But the donkey spoke with a human voice. It tried to stop the prophet from doing a very dumb thing.
17These people are like springs without water. They are like mists driven by a storm. The blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18They speak empty, bragging words. They make their appeal to the evil desires that come from sin’s power. They tempt new believers who are just escaping from the company of sinful people. 19They promise to give freedom to these new believers. But they themselves are slaves to sinful living. That’s because “people are slaves to anything that controls them.” 20They may have escaped the sin of the world. They may have come to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But what if they are once again caught up in sin? And what if it has become their master? Then they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21Suppose they had not known the way of godliness. This would have been better than to know godliness and then turn away from it. The way of godliness is the sacred command passed on to them. 22What the proverbs say about them is true. “A dog returns to where it has thrown up.” (Proverbs 26:11) And, “A pig that is washed goes back to rolling in the mud.”
Os Falsos Mestres e a sua Destruição
1No passado surgiram falsos profetas no meio do povo, como também surgirão entre vocês falsos mestres. Estes introduzirão secretamente heresias destruidoras, chegando a negar o Soberano que os resgatou, trazendo sobre si mesmos repentina destruição. 2Muitos seguirão os caminhos vergonhosos desses homens e, por causa deles, será difamado o caminho da verdade. 3Em sua cobiça, tais mestres os explorarão com histórias que inventaram. Há muito tempo a sua condenação paira sobre eles, e a sua destruição não tarda.
4Pois Deus não poupou os anjos que pecaram, mas os lançou no inferno2.4 Grego: tártaro., prendendo-os em abismos tenebrosos2.4 Alguns manuscritos dizem em cadeias de escuridão. a fim de serem reservados para o juízo. 5Ele não poupou o mundo antigo quando trouxe o Dilúvio sobre aquele povo ímpio, mas preservou Noé, pregador da justiça, e mais sete pessoas. 6Também condenou as cidades de Sodoma e Gomorra, reduzindo-as a cinzas, tornando-as exemplo do que acontecerá aos ímpios; 7mas livrou Ló, homem justo, que se afligia com o procedimento libertino dos que não tinham princípios morais 8(pois, vivendo entre eles, todos os dias aquele justo se atormentava em sua alma justa por causa das maldades que via e ouvia). 9Vemos, portanto, que o Senhor sabe livrar os piedosos da provação e manter em castigo os ímpios para o dia do juízo2.9 Ou ímpios para punição até o dia do juízo, 10especialmente os que seguem os desejos impuros da carne2.10 Ou da natureza pecaminosa; também no versículo 18. e desprezam a autoridade.
Insolentes e arrogantes, tais homens não têm medo de difamar os seres celestiais; 11contudo, nem os anjos, embora sendo maiores em força e poder, fazem acusações injuriosas contra aqueles seres na presença do Senhor. 12Mas eles difamam o que desconhecem e são como criaturas irracionais, guiadas pelo instinto, nascidas para serem capturadas e destruídas; serão corrompidos pela sua própria corrupção! 13Eles receberão retribuição pela injustiça que causaram. Consideram prazer entregar-se à devassidão em plena luz do dia. São nódoas e manchas, regalando-se em seus prazeres2.13 Alguns manuscritos dizem nas suas festas de fraternidade., quando participam das festas de vocês. 14Tendo os olhos cheios de adultério, nunca param de pecar, iludem os instáveis e têm o coração exercitado na ganância. Malditos! 15Eles abandonaram o caminho reto e se desviaram, seguindo o caminho de Balaão, filho de Beor2.15 Vários manuscritos dizem Bosor., que amou o salário da injustiça, 16mas em sua transgressão foi repreendido por uma jumenta, um animal mudo, que falou com voz humana e refreou a insensatez do profeta.
17Esses homens são fontes sem água e névoas impelidas pela tempestade. A escuridão das trevas lhes está reservada, 18pois eles, com palavras de vaidosa arrogância e provocando os desejos libertinos da carne, seduzem os que estão quase conseguindo fugir daqueles que vivem no erro. 19Prometendo-lhes liberdade, eles mesmos são escravos da corrupção, pois o homem é escravo daquilo que o domina. 20Se, tendo escapado das contaminações do mundo por meio do conhecimento de nosso Senhor e Salvador Jesus Cristo, encontram-se novamente nelas enredados e por elas dominados, estão em pior estado do que no princípio. 21Teria sido melhor que não tivessem conhecido o caminho da justiça, do que, depois de o terem conhecido, voltarem as costas para o santo mandamento que lhes foi transmitido. 22Confirma-se neles que é verdadeiro o provérbio: “O cão volta ao seu vômito”2.22 Pv 26.11 e ainda: “A porca lavada volta a revolver-se na lama”.
