American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
2 Peter 2
1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Peter 2:3
2 Timothy 4:3
Galatians 2:4
1 Corinthians 11:19
Colossians 2:8
1 Corinthians 6:20
Prophecy
Matthew 7:15
Matthew 24:11
1 John 4:1
References Lord
Jude 1:4
2
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Reference
Evil
Jude 1:10
1 Peter 2:12
Titus 2:8
Parallel theme
Romans 2:24
Revelation 13:14
Acts 24:14
Acts 16:17
2 Peter 2:15
Matthew 24:24
Jude 1:15
3
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
Reference
Judgment
Jude 1:15
2 Peter 2:9
Parallel theme
Deuteronomy 32:35
1 Timothy 6:5
Titus 1:11
2 Peter 2:1
2 Peter 1:16
Word
2 Corinthians 2:17
1 Thessalonians 2:5
Romans 16:18
4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved to judgment;
Reference
Judgment
Jude 1:6
Parallel theme
Matthew 25:41
Romans 8:32
Isaiah 14:12
Revelation 20:10
Ezekiel 7:4
Job 4:18
Luke 10:18
References God
Ezekiel 5:11
Sin
1 John 3:8
5
And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
Reference
6
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample to those that after should live ungodly;
Reference
Kingdom
Isaiah 13:19
Parallel theme
Jude 1:7
Deuteronomy 29:23
Numbers 26:10
1 Corinthians 10:11
Genesis 19:28
References God
Jeremiah 50:40
Zephaniah 2:9
7
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
Reference
Evil
2 Peter 3:17
Genesis 13:13
Parallel theme
Genesis 19:16
Genesis 19:29
1 Corinthians 10:13
Jeremiah 23:9
8
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
Reference
9
The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished:
Reference
Judgment
2 Peter 3:7
2 Peter 2:4
Parallel theme
Revelation 3:10
Job 5:19
Titus 2:14
References God
1 Corinthians 10:13
2 Timothy 3:12
Psalm 4:3
References Lord
Proverbs 16:4
Righteousness
Romans 2:5
10
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
Reference
Evil
Jude 1:10
Exodus 22:28
Acts 23:5
Parallel theme
Jude 1:16
Jude 1:18
2 Peter 3:3
Ephesians 5:5
Luke 19:14
Jude 1:4
Hebrews 13:4
11
Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
Reference
12
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
Reference
Evil
Jude 1:10
Proverbs 14:32
Jeremiah 4:22
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 12:3
Psalm 92:6
2 Peter 2:19
Galatians 6:8
Jeremiah 10:21
Jeremiah 10:8
13
And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
Reference
14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
Reference
15
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 2:14
Jude 1:11
Numbers 31:16
Acts 1:18
Proverbs 28:4
Nehemiah 13:2
Ezekiel 9:10
Righteousness
Micah 6:5
Acts 13:10
2 Peter 2:13
16
But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbade the madness of the prophet.
17
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
Reference
18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
Reference
19
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
Reference
20
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
Reference
Parallel theme
Philippians 3:19
Deuteronomy 32:29
2 Peter 1:4
2 Peter 2:18
Numbers 24:20
References Jesus
2 Peter 1:2
21
For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Reference
Parallel theme
James 4:17
Luke 12:47
John 15:22
John 9:41
Zephaniah 1:6
Righteousness
Ezekiel 18:24
Ezekiel 3:20
Proverbs 16:31
Matthew 21:32
Word
1 Thessalonians 4:2
22
But it is happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Reference
Parallel theme
Proverbs 26:11
Summary of 2 Peter 2
2 Peter 2 provides a strong warning against false teachers who secretly introduce destructive ideas, exploit believers for personal gain, encourage immoral behavior, reject rightful authority, and promise freedom while remaining enslaved to corruption, while Peter assures believers that God knows how to rescue the faithful from trials and preserve the unrighteous for judgment, using examples from the angels, Noah, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Balaam to demonstrate that divine judgment is certain even when evil appears successful for a time.
Peter begins by warning that false prophets existed among God's people in the past, and similar false teachers would arise within the Christian community.
Their danger is particularly serious because they do not always announce themselves openly as enemies of Christianity.
Instead, they can introduce destructive teachings quietly while appearing to belong among God's people.
Peter says these teachers may even deny the Lord who bought them, showing that their teaching can directly undermine the central truth about Jesus Christ.
Their influence can become widespread because many people may follow their immoral behavior, causing outsiders to speak negatively about Christianity.
Peter therefore connects false teaching with practical conduct, showing that wrong beliefs can eventually produce destructive lifestyles.
Another major characteristic of these teachers is greed.
They exploit people through deceptive words because their religious activity is motivated by personal advantage.
Peter warns that God's judgment against such people is already certain, even if it does not appear immediately.
To demonstrate that God judges rebellion, Peter gives several examples from biblical history.
He first refers to sinful angels, then to the generation of Noah, and finally to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
These examples establish an important principle: God is able to preserve those who remain faithful while simultaneously holding rebellious people accountable.
Noah is described as a preacher of righteousness who was preserved with his family during the flood.
Lot is also presented as someone whom God rescued from Sodom even though he was deeply troubled by the immoral behavior surrounding him.
Peter uses these examples to reassure believers that God knows how to rescue godly people from trials while reserving the unrighteous for judgment.
The false teachers, however, are described as people who follow corrupt desires and reject authority.
Their behavior is characterized by arrogance, sexual immorality, greed, and reckless confidence.
Peter contrasts their arrogance with the restraint of angels, who do not bring insulting accusations against spiritual beings before God.
The false teachers are instead compared with animals acting according to instinct, because they speak confidently about things they do not truly understand.
Their moral corruption is especially visible through their uncontrolled desires and greed.
Peter compares them with Balaam, who became associated with wrongdoing because he loved the reward connected with it.
The story of Balaam's donkey provides a striking illustration because God used an unexpected means to stop Balaam from continuing in a dangerous direction.
Peter then compares false teachers with empty wells and clouds without rain.
They promise people spiritual refreshment and freedom but ultimately provide nothing useful or lasting.
Their impressive words can be especially dangerous to people who have only recently begun escaping their former sinful lifestyles because the false teachers can tempt them back into the very corruption they were trying to leave.
Peter emphasizes that their promise of freedom is actually slavery.
A person may believe that unrestricted desire represents freedom, but Peter argues that anyone controlled by corruption has actually become its servant.
The chapter closes with a serious warning about people who have escaped worldly corruption through knowing Christ but later return deliberately to their former ways.
Peter says that such a return demonstrates an especially tragic condition because these people had known the way of righteousness but turned away from it.
He concludes with the vivid images of a dog returning to its vomit and a washed pig returning to the mud, illustrating how tragic it is for someone to return willingly to the corruption from which they had previously escaped.
The central message of 2 Peter 2 is that false teachers who distort Christian truth, exploit believers, promise freedom while remaining enslaved to sinful desires, and encourage immoral living will ultimately face God's judgment, while God remains fully able to protect faithful believers through difficult circumstances, making the examples of the sinful angels, Noah, Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Balaam powerful reminders that apparent success by the wicked is temporary and that returning deliberately to former corruption after knowing the truth carries serious spiritual consequences.
Peter begins by warning that false prophets existed among God's people in the past, and similar false teachers would arise within the Christian community.
Their danger is particularly serious because they do not always announce themselves openly as enemies of Christianity.
Instead, they can introduce destructive teachings quietly while appearing to belong among God's people.
Peter says these teachers may even deny the Lord who bought them, showing that their teaching can directly undermine the central truth about Jesus Christ.
Their influence can become widespread because many people may follow their immoral behavior, causing outsiders to speak negatively about Christianity.
Peter therefore connects false teaching with practical conduct, showing that wrong beliefs can eventually produce destructive lifestyles.
Another major characteristic of these teachers is greed.
They exploit people through deceptive words because their religious activity is motivated by personal advantage.
Peter warns that God's judgment against such people is already certain, even if it does not appear immediately.
To demonstrate that God judges rebellion, Peter gives several examples from biblical history.
He first refers to sinful angels, then to the generation of Noah, and finally to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
These examples establish an important principle: God is able to preserve those who remain faithful while simultaneously holding rebellious people accountable.
Noah is described as a preacher of righteousness who was preserved with his family during the flood.
Lot is also presented as someone whom God rescued from Sodom even though he was deeply troubled by the immoral behavior surrounding him.
Peter uses these examples to reassure believers that God knows how to rescue godly people from trials while reserving the unrighteous for judgment.
The false teachers, however, are described as people who follow corrupt desires and reject authority.
Their behavior is characterized by arrogance, sexual immorality, greed, and reckless confidence.
Peter contrasts their arrogance with the restraint of angels, who do not bring insulting accusations against spiritual beings before God.
The false teachers are instead compared with animals acting according to instinct, because they speak confidently about things they do not truly understand.
Their moral corruption is especially visible through their uncontrolled desires and greed.
Peter compares them with Balaam, who became associated with wrongdoing because he loved the reward connected with it.
The story of Balaam's donkey provides a striking illustration because God used an unexpected means to stop Balaam from continuing in a dangerous direction.
Peter then compares false teachers with empty wells and clouds without rain.
They promise people spiritual refreshment and freedom but ultimately provide nothing useful or lasting.
Their impressive words can be especially dangerous to people who have only recently begun escaping their former sinful lifestyles because the false teachers can tempt them back into the very corruption they were trying to leave.
Peter emphasizes that their promise of freedom is actually slavery.
A person may believe that unrestricted desire represents freedom, but Peter argues that anyone controlled by corruption has actually become its servant.
The chapter closes with a serious warning about people who have escaped worldly corruption through knowing Christ but later return deliberately to their former ways.
Peter says that such a return demonstrates an especially tragic condition because these people had known the way of righteousness but turned away from it.
He concludes with the vivid images of a dog returning to its vomit and a washed pig returning to the mud, illustrating how tragic it is for someone to return willingly to the corruption from which they had previously escaped.
The central message of 2 Peter 2 is that false teachers who distort Christian truth, exploit believers, promise freedom while remaining enslaved to sinful desires, and encourage immoral living will ultimately face God's judgment, while God remains fully able to protect faithful believers through difficult circumstances, making the examples of the sinful angels, Noah, Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Balaam powerful reminders that apparent success by the wicked is temporary and that returning deliberately to former corruption after knowing the truth carries serious spiritual consequences.