For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,(A) but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment;(B) if he did not spare the ancient world(C) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,(D) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;(E) if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,(F) and made them an example(G) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;(H) and if he rescued Lot,(I) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless(J) (for that righteous man,(K) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials(L) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.(M) 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire(N) of the flesh[c] and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;(O)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 2:4 Greek Tartarus
  2. 2 Peter 2:4 Some manuscripts in gloomy dungeons
  3. 2 Peter 2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 18.

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