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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For if God did not spare angels who had sinned, but, in chains of darkness throwing down to Tartarus, he handed over those being kept for judgment;[fn]

Some other versions read, to be kept in pits of lower darkness until the judgment;

UST This judgment is certain because God did not let the angels who acted sinfully remain unpunished. On the contrary, he threw them into hell where they are chained in darkness. God imprisoned these sinful angels there and is holding them there in order to judge them.

BSB § For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell,[fn] placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

2:4 Greek cast them into Tartarus; see the First Book of Enoch (1 Enoch 13:1–11 and 1 Enoch 20:1–4).

BLB For if God did not spare the angels having sinned, but having cast them down to Tartarus, in chains of gloomy darkness, delivered them, being kept for judgment;

AICNT For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but having cast them into Tartarus[fn] with chains of darkness, delivering them to be kept for judgment;

2:4, Tartarus: This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Tartarus, thought of by the Greeks as a subterranean place lower than Hades where divine punishment was meted out, and so regarded in Israelite apocalyptic as well. (BDAG, ταρταρόω)

OEB Remember, God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them down to Tartarus, and consigned them to caverns of darkness, to be kept under guard for judgment.

CSB For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment;

NLT For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.

NIV For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;

CEV God did not have pity on the angels that sinned. He had them tied up and thrown into the dark pits of hell until the time of judgment.

ESV For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

NASB For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

LSB For if God did not spare angels who sinned, but cast them into the pit and delivered them to chains of darkness, being kept for judgment;

2DT For if God did not spare the envoys who sinned but gave them over, tossing them into Tartaros in chains of gloom, being kept for judgment,

WEBBE For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus,[fn] and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgement;

2:4 Tartarus is another name for Hell

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

MSG ^(4-5)God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them.

NET For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,

LSV For if God did not spare messengers having sinned, but having cast [them] down to Tartarus with chains of deepest gloom, delivered [them], having been reserved to judgment,

FBV For God didn't even spare the angels when they sinned. He threw them into Tartarus,[fn] holding them in dark pits ready for judgment.

2:4 “Tartarus.” This is often translated as “hell,” however this word has associations from other mythologies. It seems that “Tartarus” was used to represent the word “sheol” of the Old Testament, meaning the place of the dead.

TCNT For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and committed them to [fn]chains of darkness to be kept for judgment;

2:4 chains ¦ pits TH WH

T4T God destroyed [LIT] the angels who sinned. He threw them into the worst place in hell and imprisoned them there in darkness in order to keep them there until he judges and punishes them.

LEB For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but held them captive in Tartarus with chains of darkness and handed them over to be kept for judgment,

NRSV For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment;

NKJV For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

NAB For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and handed them over to be kept for judgment;

BBE For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged;

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Wymth For God did not spare angels when they had sinned, but hurling them down to Tartarus consigned them to caves of darkness, keeping them in readiness for judgement.

ASV For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

DRA For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments, to be reserved unto judgment:

YLT For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick gloom, having cast [them] down to Tartarus, did deliver [them] to judgment, having been reserved,

Drby For if [fn]God spared not [the] angels who had sinned, but having cast them down to the deepest pit of gloom has delivered them to chains of darkness [to be] kept for judgment;

2.4 Elohim

RV For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Wbstr 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;

KJB-1769 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 unto judgment;
(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 unto judgement; )

KJB-1611 For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them downe to hell, and deliuered them into chaines of darkenesse, to be reserued vnto iudgment:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them downe into hell, and delyuered them into chaynes of darknesse, to be kept vnto iudgement:
(For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto judgement:)

Gnva For if God spared not the Angels that had sinned, but cast them downe into hell, and deliuered them into chaines of darkenes, to be kept vnto damnation:
(For if God spared not the Angels that had sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept unto damnation: )

Cvdl For yf God spared not the angels that synned, but cast them downe with the cheynes of darknes in to hell, and delyuered the ouer to be kepte vnto iudgment:
(For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down with the chains of darknes in to hell, and delivered the over to be kept unto judgement:)

TNT For yf god spared not the angels that synned but cast them doune into hell and delyuered them in chaynes of darknes to be kept vnto iudgement.
(For if god spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down into hell and delivered them in chains of darknes to be kept unto judgement. )

Wycl For if God sparide not aungels synnynge, but bitook hem to be turmentid, and to be drawun doun with boondis of helle in to helle, to be kept in to dom;
(For if God sparide not angels synnynge, but bitook them to be turmentid, and to be drawun down with boondis of hell in to helle, to be kept in to dom;)

Luth Denn so GOtt der Engel, die gesündiget haben, nicht verschonet hat, sondern hat sie mit Ketten der Finsternis zur Hölle verstoßen und übergeben, daß sie zum Gerichte behalten werden;
(Because so God the/of_the angel, the gesündiget have, not verschonet has, rather has they/she/them with Ketten the/of_the darkness to hell verstoßen and übergeben, that they/she/them for_the Gerichte keep become;)

ClVg Si enim Deus angelis peccantibus non pepercit, sed rudentibus inferni detractos in tartarum tradidit cruciandos, in judicium reservari.[fn]
(When/But_if because God angelis peccantibus not/no pepercit, but rudentibus inferni detractos in tartarum he_delivered cruciandos, in yudicium reservari. )

2.4 Si enim Deus angelis. ID. Si Deus apostatas angelos traditos pœnis inferni, etc., usque ad in abyssi profunda sunt rapti.

2.4 When/But_if because God angelis. ID. When/But_if God apostatas angelos traditos pœnis inferni, etc., until to in abyssi profunda are rapti.

UGNT εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ σειροῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας, παρέδωκεν εἰς κρίσιν τηρουμένους;
(ei gar ho Theos angelōn hamartaʸsantōn ouk efeisato, alla seirois zofou tartarōsas, paredōken eis krisin taʸroumenous;)

SBL-GNT Εἰ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ ⸀σειραῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας παρέδωκεν εἰς κρίσιν τηρουμένους,
(Ei gar ho theos angelōn hamartaʸsantōn ouk efeisato, alla ⸀seirais zofou tartarōsas paredōken eis krisin taʸroumenous,)

TC-GNT Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλὰ [fn]σειραῖς ζόφου ταρταρώσας παρέδωκεν εἰς κρίσιν [fn]τηρουμένους·
(Ei gar ho Theos angelōn hamartaʸsantōn ouk efeisato, alla seirais zofou tartarōsas paredōken eis krisin taʸroumenous; )

2:4 σειραις ¦ σειροις TH WH

2:4 τηρουμενους ¦ τετηρημενους TR

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

for

For indicates here that Peter is giving the reason for the result he implicitly described in the previous verse. He is saying why the destruction of the false teachers is certain. Alternate translation: [This is because]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-fact

εἰ

Connecting Statement:

Here, if indicates the beginning of a conditional sentence that extends from 2:4 to 2:10. Peter is speaking as if this were a hypothetical possibility, but he means that it is actually true. If your language does not state something as a condition if it is certain or true, and if your readers might think that what Peter is saying is not certain, then you could translate his words as an affirmative statement. Alternate translation: [Since God did not spare the angels who had sinned]

οὐκ ἐφείσατο

not spared

Here, spare means “to refrain from punishing.” Alternate translation: [did not refrain from punishing]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / distinguish

ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων

˱of˲_/the/_angels /having/_sinned

Peter uses who had sinned to distinguish the angels who were punished by God from those that were not.

Note 4 topic: translate-textvariants

σειροῖς ζόφου

˱to˲_pits ˱of˲_darkness

Some of the best ancient manuscripts read “pits” instead of “chains.” If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it has. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading in the ULT.

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

σειροῖς ζόφου

˱to˲_pits ˱of˲_darkness

This phrase could refer to: (1) chains in a very dark place. Alternate translation: [in chains in darkness] (2) a very deep darkness that imprisons them like chains. Alternate translation: [bound in darkness like chains]

Note 6 topic: translate-names

ταρταρώσας

/having/_committed_to_Tartarus_‹them›

The word Tartarus is a term from Ancient Greek religion that refers to the place where evil spirits and wicked men who have died are punished. Some Ancient Jewish literature written in Greek uses Tartarus as a term for the place where God punishes the wicked. Alternate translation: [he cast them into hell]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

παρέδωκεν

gave_over_‹them›

God is the one who handed over the angels who had sinned. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could make that explicit in your translation. Alternate translation: [God handed over]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

παρέδωκεν

gave_over_‹them›

Here, Peter speaks of God imprisoning the angels who sinned like someone who has handed over a criminal to the prison guards for imprisonment. Alternate translation: [imprisoned]

Note 9 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

εἰς κρίσιν

for judgment

This phrase gives the purpose or goal for which the sinning angels are being held in captivity. Alternate translation: [for the purpose of judgment]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εἰς κρίσιν

for judgment

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract noun judgment by translating it with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: [to be judged]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

εἰς κρίσιν τηρουμένους

for judgment /being/_kept

This phrase refers to the sinful angels mentioned earlier in the verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: [those sinful angels who are being kept for judgment]

Note 12 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

εἰς κρίσιν τηρουμένους

for judgment /being/_kept

If your language does not use this passive form, you can express this with an active verbal form and you can indicate who is doing the action. Alternate translation: [those whom God is keeping for judgment]

Parallel 2PET 2:4

Connecting Statement: