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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
2 Pet 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22
OET (OET-LV) being_done_wrong as_the_wage of_unrighteousness, as_gratification considering the luxury in the_day, stains and blemishes reveling in the seductions of_them, feasting_with with_you_all,
OET (OET-RV) The harm they did will lead to their own harm as payment as their indulgence in broad daylight. They’ve become spots and blemishes as they feast together with you yet take joy in their deception.
In this section, Peter warned the people who read his letter against false teachers who behaved wickedly and who would try to encourage believers to behave in the same immoral way as they did. But God would certainly destroy these false teachers.
Many of the verses in this section are similar to verses in Jude’s letter. Whoever wrote second, Peter or Jude, may have had a copy of the other one’s letter and used words and ideas out of that letter. Or perhaps someone else had written something with similar words and ideas in it, and Peter and Jude both used words and ideas from that writing. Why these two letters are so similar is not the most important thing. But if you have already translated Jude, it is important to have that translation open in front of you while you are studying and translating this section of 2 Peter. However be careful not to copy any verse exactly from Jude’s letter to your translation of 2 Peter, because there are differences between them which must remain in your translation.
Peter was saying that the false teachers did all kinds of wicked things. They did not show respect for anyone, not even those greater than themselves. They behaved like wild animals, doing only what their bodies desired to do. Because they were so evil, and because they enticed others to behave as they themselves did, God would destroy them.
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness.
God will cause them to suffer greatly because they have caused other people to suffer.
It is better to include 13a in this paragraph which begins at verse 10b, rather than follow BSB which starts the new paragraph at the beginning of verse 12, because 13a continues to speak of how God will punish the false teachers.
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness: There is a problem in the Greek text here.
Some manuscripts have a verb (adikoumenoi), which BSB translates as The harm they will suffer. This is the text most English versions follow.
Other manuscripts have a different verb (komioumenoi) “received.” For example:
And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness (KJV)
It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1) like BSB and the majority of English versions.
The false teachers’ main pleasure was to feast and to get as much of food, things to drink, and sex as they wanted. It is bad to behave this way at any time, but these people were so shameless they didn’t even try to hide what they were doing by waiting until night. Instead they were doing these things in the daytime, when everyone could see them behaving in such a way. So the false teachers brought shame on the Christians when they joined them for meals together.
Peter compared the false teachers to the prophet Balaam. Read the story of Balaam in Numbers 22–24. Balak, the king of the country of Moab, offered to reward Balaam if he would curse the people of Israel. Balaam was greedy to get the reward which Balak had offered him. That is why he tried three times to curse the people of Israel, even though he knew God didn’t want him to do it. But each time he tried to curse the people of Israel, he failed, because God caused him to bless them instead.
When Balaam was first going to Balak, God sent his angel to block Balaam’s way. Balaam could not see the angel, but the donkey he was riding could see him and refused to go on. Balaam then beat the donkey, and so God gave the donkey the ability to speak and it protested against the unfair way that Balaam had treated it.
They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight.
¶ These false teachers enjoy feasting excessively, and they do this even in the daytime.
¶ These false teachers think it is fun to eat and drink too much not just at night but even during the day.
carouse: The Greek word which BSB translates carouse means “luxury.” It can have a good sense, “delight,” but here Peter used it to mean “self indulgence,” that is, eating and drinking too much at feasts without any self-control.
They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.
While they eat with you(plur), they continue to enjoy their deceitful ways and so they spoil your reputation and bring shame on you.
blots and blemishes: These two words are very similar in meaning. Both spoil the garment or face where they are. Peter used the words figuratively. He meant that the false teachers were like blots and blemishes because the disgraceful way that they behaved when they were eating together with the Christians spoiled the reputation of the whole group.
reveling in their deception: The Greek word which BSB translates as reveling is connected to “carouse” in 13b, and it means to enjoy oneself by eating, drinking and behaving immorally without any self-control.
deception: The word Peter used here (apataisThere is also a problem with the Greek manuscript at this point. Some manuscripts have the Greek word agapais instead of apatais. This word is usually translated as “love feasts” and refers to the meals the early Christians used to eat together. It is also the word Jude used in the parallel section in his letter (Jude 12). No major English version translates “love feasts” in the text, though some do mention it in a footnote.) literally means “deceits.” However in some contexts, the word can mean “pleasure that involves doing wrong.” Here is another way to translate this verse part:
They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you (NIV)
While the false teachers ate with the Christians, they enjoyed indulging themselves.
The Meaning Line in the Display follows BSB. If you want to follow NIV, see the translation given above.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἀδικούμενοι μισθὸν ἀδικίας
˓being˒_done_wrong (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
Peter speaks of the punishment that the false teachers will receive as if it were a wage they had earned. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this plainly. Alternate translation: [receiving the punishment they deserve for their unrighteousness]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἀδικίας
˱of˲_unrighteousness
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract noun unrighteousness by translating it with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [of the wrong things they have done]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἡδονὴν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract noun pleasure by translating it with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [something that pleases]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
Here, reveling refers to immoral activity that includes gluttony, drunkenness, and sexual activity. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this abstract noun by translating it with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [their ability to revel in the day]
τὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
This phrase indicates the time when the false teachers were reveling. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate in as “during.” Doing these things “during the day” indicates that these people are not ashamed of this behavior. Alternate translation: [reveling during the day]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι
stains (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
Peter speaks of the false teachers as if they were stains or blemishes on a garment that cause shame for those who wear it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this metaphor by translating it as a simile. Alternate translation: [like stains and blemishes on clothes, which cause disgrace]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι
stains (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
The words stains and blemishes share similar meanings. Peter is using them together for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate them with a single expression. Alternate translation: [unsightly stains]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι
stains (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀδικούμενοι μισθόν ἀδικίας ἡδονήν ἡγούμενοι τήν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν σπίλοι καί μῶμοι ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν)
For emphasis, here Peter is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the context. Alternate translation: [They are stains and blemishes]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἐντρυφῶντες ἐν ταῖς ἀπάταις αὐτῶν
reveling in the seductions ˱of˲_them
If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the abstract noun deceptions with an adjective like “deceptive.” Alternate translation: [reveling in their deceptive deeds]
2:13 They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals: Cp. Jude 1:12. Christians often ate fellowship meals together in celebration of the Lord (see Acts 2:46; 6:1). The false teachers were using these mealtimes as opportunities to deceive true believers. Some manuscripts read They delight (or revel, or carouse) in their fellowship meals as they eat with you. If this reading is correct, they were using the fellowship meals for self-indulgence (cp. 1 Cor 11:20-22).
OET (OET-LV) being_done_wrong as_the_wage of_unrighteousness, as_gratification considering the luxury in the_day, stains and blemishes reveling in the seductions of_them, feasting_with with_you_all,
OET (OET-RV) The harm they did will lead to their own harm as payment as their indulgence in broad daylight. They’ve become spots and blemishes as they feast together with you yet take joy in their deception.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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