1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying יהוה who has redeemed them, and thus bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2Many will follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom evil will be spoken of Derekh HaEmet.
3And through covetousness they will exploit you with feigned words, whose judgment from the very beginning has not ceased, and their damnation is always active. 4Elohim did not spare the Malakhim who sinned, but sent them in chains of darkness to be reserved for tormenting judgment in the depths beneath; 5and He did not spare the old world, but only No’akh, the herald of Tzedaka, with his family, eight in all, when he brought the flood upon the wicked people, 6and set afire the cities of S’dom and Amorah, and condemned them with an upheaval, making them an example to those who hereafter should live ungodly lives; 7and delivered Lot HaTzadik, mortified by the filthy conduct of those without Torah; 8for while that Tzadik dwelt among them, in seeing and hearing their deeds against Torah, his righteous soul was vexed from day to day. 9 יהוה knows how to deliver from tribulation those who revere Him, and He will reserve the wicked to be punished on Yom HaDin.
10And especially will He punish those who follow after filthy lusts of the flesh, and have no respect for authority. Bold and self-willed are they, who do not tremble when they blaspheme against HaKavod; 11whereas Malakhim, who are greater in power and might, do not bring upon themselves the condemnation of blasphemy. 12But these men, as natural brute beasts, made for slaughter and destruction, speak evil of the things which they do not understand; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption, 13and shall receive the reward of iniquity, as they consider it a delightful thing to revel in the daytime. Spots and blemishes have they, and sport themselves with their own pleasures as they feast in idleness, 14and have eyes full of adultery and of sin that does not cease; beguiling, unstable souls are they, whose hearts are well versed in covetousness; accursed sons are they, 15who have forsaken the Straight Way and are gone astray, following the way of Bilam, the son of Be’or, who loved the wages of iniquity, 16but who was rebuked for his iniquity; a dumb donkey, speaking with a man’s voice, halted the folly of the prophet. 17These men are springs without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; the mist of darkness is reserved for them forever. 18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the sensual lusts of the flesh; but there are those who escape, when the time is easy, from those who live in harlotry. 19They, while they promise liberty, themselves are the slaves of corruption; for a man is overcome by whatever it is that enslaves him. 20For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Adoneinu and Moshi’einu Yeshua HaMashi’akh, they are again entangled by these very things, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21Truly it would have been better for them not to have known the Derekh HaTzedaka, than, after they have known it, to turn from the kadosh mitzvah that was delivered to them. 22It will come to pass with them according to the true proverb, “The dog returns to his own vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
Coming Soon! We are working daily on translating the remainder of the Brit Khadashah from Aramaic to Hebrew. Check back soon for this chapter’s Hebrew version!
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 