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¹ But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in ^[a]destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. ³ And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. ⁴ For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but ^[b]cast them down to ^[c]hell, and committed them to ^[d]pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; ⁵ and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, ^[e]a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, ^[f]vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): ⁹ the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; ¹⁰ but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at ^[g]dignities: ¹¹ whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. ¹² But these, as creatures without reason, born ^[h]mere animals ^[i]to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their ^[j]destroying surely be destroyed, ¹³ suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their ^[k]deceivings while they feast with you; ¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[l]adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; ¹⁵ forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of ^[m]Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷ These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved. ¹⁸ For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; ¹⁹ promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of ^[n]whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of ^[o]the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. ²¹ For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. ²² It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, ^[p]The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.