1 Bet ir arī bijuši tautā viltus pravieši, kā arī jūsu starpā būs viltus mācītāji, kas paslepen ienesīs aplamas posta mācības, noliegdami pat To Kungu, kas viņus atpircis, un tā sagatavos sev drīzu pazušanu. 2 Daudzi sekos viņu baudu dzīvei, viņu dēļ patiesības ceļš tiks zaimots. 3 Mantkārībā viņi izmantos jūs ar izdomātiem vārdiem; sodība, kas jau sen viņiem nolemta, nekavējas nākt, un viņu posts nesnauž. 4 Jo arī eņģeļus, kas apgrēkojās, Dievs nesaudzēja, bet nometa tos pazemes tumšajās bedrēs, lai glabātu sodam. 5 Viņš arī nesaudzēja seno pasauli, bet sūtīdams plūdus bezdievīgajai pasaulei, izglāba tikai taisnības sludinātāju Nou līdz ar septiņiem citiem. 6 Tāpat Viņš nosodīja Sodomas un Gomoras pilsētas, pārvērzdams tās pelnos un iznīcinādams, tā atstājot biedinošu piemēru visiem, kas grib grēkot. 7 Viņš izglāba taisno Latu, kam bezdievju netiklā dzīve sagādāja ciešanas. 8 Jo taisnais, kas dzīvoja viņu vidū, mocījās savā taisnajā dvēselē dienu no dienas, redzēdams un dzirdēdams viņu negantos darbus. 9 Tā Tas Kungs prot izglābt dievbijīgos no kārdinājuma, bet netaisnus paturēt mokām soda dienā, 10 sevišķi tos, kas seko miesai kārībās, kas viņus apgāna, un nicina augsto varu. Pārdroši pārgalvji, tie nebīstas no godības eņģeļiem, bet zaimo tos, 11 kamēr eņģeļi, kaut gan tie ir stiprumā un spēkā lielāki, nenosoda viņus, tos zaimodami Tā Kunga priekšā. 12 Viņi kā neprātīgi dzīvnieki, kas pēc savas dabas radīti satveršanai un nokaušanai, tāpat kā šie ies bojā, tāpēc ka tie zaimo to, ko tie nepazīst, 13 saņemdami netaisnības algu; salds prieks tiem šķiet baudu dzīve dienā, viņi ir kauna traipi, savā viltībā mielodamies kopā ar jums. 14 Viņu acis ir vērstas tikai uz laulības pārkāpēju un alkst grēka; tie vilina nestipras dvēseles, tiem sirds ir ievingrinājusies mantkārībā; tie lāstam pakļauti. 15 Atstādami taisno ceļu, tie ir nomaldījušies, sekodami Bileāmam, Beora dēlam, kas dzinās pēc netaisnās algas, 16 bet saņēma pamācību par savu pārkāpumu: bez valodas lops, sākdams runāt cilvēka valodā, aizkavēja pravieša neprātīgo nodomu. 17 Tie ir avoti bez ūdens, vēja dzenāti mākoņi, viņiem nolemta visdziļākā tumsība. 18 Jo, runādami lepnus, tukšus vārdus, tie vilina ar miesas kārībām netiklās baudās tos, kas tikko izbēguši maldu ceļu gājējiem. 19 Apsolīdami tiem svabadību, paši viņi kalpo postam, jo, kura kāds ir uzvarēts, tā kalps viņš ir. 20 Jo, ja tie, kas pasaules gānekļiem mūsu Kunga un Pestītāja Jēzus Kristus atziņā izbēguši, bet tanīs atkal iepīti, zaudē cīņu, tad viņu gals ir kļuvis ļaunāks nekā viņu sākums. 21 Jo labāk viņiem būtu bijis, kad tie nebūtu atzinuši taisnības ceļu, nekā pie atziņas nākušiem nogriezties no viņiem uzticētā svētā baušļa. 22 Bet viņiem ir noticis pēc sakāmā vārda patiesības: suns atgriežas pie sava paša vēmekļa, kā arī: cūka mazgājusies atkal vārtās dubļos.
False Teachers
1 False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction. 2 Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth. 3 In their greed these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their Destroyer has been wide awake!
4 God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment. 5 God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people. 6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying them with fire, and made them an example of what will happen to the godless. 7 He rescued Lot, a good man, who was distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people. 8 That good man lived among them, and day after day he suffered agony as he saw and heard their evil actions. 9 And so the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and how to keep the wicked under punishment for the Day of Judgment, 10 especially those who follow their filthy bodily lusts and despise God's authority.
These false teachers are bold and arrogant, and show no respect for the glorious beings above; instead, they insult them. 11 Even the angels, who are so much stronger and mightier than these false teachers, do not accuse them with insults in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these people act by instinct, like wild animals born to be captured and killed; they attack with insults anything they do not understand. They will be destroyed like wild animals, 13 and they will be paid with suffering for the suffering they have caused. Pleasure for them is to do anything in broad daylight that will satisfy their bodily appetites; they are a shame and a disgrace as they join you in your meals, all the while enjoying their deceitful ways! 14 They want to look for nothing but the chance to commit adultery; their appetite for sin is never satisfied. They lead weak people into a trap. Their hearts are trained to be greedy. They are under God's curse! 15 They have left the straight path and have lost their way; they have followed the path taken by Balaam son of Beor, who loved the money he would get for doing wrong 16 and was rebuked for his sin. His donkey spoke with a human voice and stopped the prophet's insane action.
17 These people are like dried-up springs, like clouds blown along by a storm; God has reserved a place for them in the deepest darkness. 18 They make proud and stupid statements, and use immoral bodily lusts to trap those who are just beginning to escape from among people who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of destructive habits—for we are slaves of anything that has conquered us. 20 If people have escaped from the corrupting forces of the world through their knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are again caught and conquered by them, such people are in worse condition at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been much better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them. 22 What happened to them shows that the proverbs are true: “A dog goes back to what it has vomited” and “A pig that has been washed goes back to roll in the mud.”
