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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

2 Peter 2:2

Many people will follow their evil ways and cause others to tell lies about the true way.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Doctrines;   Gospel;   Hypocrisy;   Minister, Christian;   Scofield Reference Index - Apostasy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bringing Reproach;   Inconsistency;   Religion, True-False;   Reproach;   The Topic Concordance - Corruption;   Examples;   Folly;   Forsaking;   Perishing;   Prophecy and Prophets;   Servants;   Speech/communication;   Straying;   Teaching;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Covetousness;   Doctrines, False;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Apostacy;   Peter, letters of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Condemnation;   False Prophet;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Peter, the Epistles of;   Timothy, the First Epistle to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - 2 Peter;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the New Testament;   Peter, Second Epistle of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Condemnation;   Evil-Speaking;   False Prophets;   Lasciviousness ;   Metaphor;   Peter Epistles of;   Philosophy;   Teaching ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Prophets, the;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jude, Epistle of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Damn;   Jude, the Epistle of;   Lasciviousness;   Peter, Simon;   Peter, the Second Epistle of;   Truth;   Way;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them.
King James Version (1611)
And many shall follow their pernicious wayes, by reason of whom the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of:
King James Version
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
English Standard Version
And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
New American Standard Bible
Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
New Century Version
Many will follow their evil ways and say evil things about the way of truth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
Berean Standard Bible
Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
Complete Jewish Bible
Many will follow their debaucheries; and because of them, the true Way will be maligned.
Darby Translation
and many shall follow their dissolute ways, through whom the way of the truth shall be blasphemed.
Easy-to-Read Version
Many people will follow them in the morally wrong things they do. And because of them, others will say bad things about the way of truth we follow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And many shall folow their destructions, by whom the way of trueth shalbe euil spoken of,
George Lamsa Translation
Many will follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Good News Translation
Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth.
Lexham English Bible
And many will follow their licentious ways, because of whom the way of truth will be reviled.
Literal Translation
And many will follow their destructive ways, by whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of.
Amplified Bible
Many will follow their shameful ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned.
American Standard Version
And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
Bible in Basic English
And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.
Hebrew Names Version
Many will follow their destructive ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.
International Standard Version
Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned.blasphemed">[fn]
Etheridge Translation
And many will go after their wickedness; they, on account of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Murdock Translation
And many will go after their profaneness; on account of whom, the way of truth will be reproached.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And many shall folowe their damnable wayes, by whom the way of trueth shalbe euyll spoken of:
English Revised Version
And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
World English Bible
Many will follow their destructive ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And many will follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of.
Weymouth's New Testament
And in their immoral ways they will have many eager disciples, through whom religion will be brought into disrepute.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And many schulen sue her letcheries, bi whiche the weie of treuthe schal be blasfemyd;
Update Bible Version
And many shall follow their sexual immorality; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
Webster's Bible Translation
And many will follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of.
New English Translation
And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.
New King James Version
And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
New Living Translation
Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.
New Life Bible
Many people will follow their wrong ways. Because of what they do, people will speak bad things against the way of truth.
New Revised Standard
Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, many, will follow out their wanton ways, - by reason of whom, the way of truth, will be defamed,
Douay-Rheims Bible
And many shall follow their riotousness, through whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Revised Standard Version
And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and many shall folowe their damnable wayes by which the waye of trueth shalbe evyll spoken of
Young's Literal Translation
and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and many shal folowe their damnable wayes, by who the waye of the trueth shal be euell spoke of:
Mace New Testament (1729)
many will follow their destructive maxims, and by their means christianity will be traduc'd.
Simplified Cowboy Version
There will be many a cowboy who will leave the narrow trail and follow the immoral highway. Their lives will seem so much better on the outside, therefore many will shun the authentic cowboy way.

Contextual Overview

1 Sometimes false prophets spoke to the people of Israel. False teachers will also sneak in and speak harmful lies to you. But these teachers don't really belong to the Master who paid a great price for them, and they will quickly destroy themselves. 2 Many people will follow their evil ways and cause others to tell lies about the true way.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

many: Matthew 24:10-13, Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:19, Revelation 12:9, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 13:14

pernicious ways: or, lascivious ways, as some copies read, by reason. Romans 2:24, 1 Timothy 5:14, Titus 2:5, Titus 2:8

ways: 2 Peter 2:15, 2 Peter 2:21, Psalms 18:21, Isaiah 35:8, Jeremiah 6:16, Matthew 7:14, Matthew 22:16, Mark 12:14, John 14:6, Acts 13:10, Acts 16:17, Acts 18:26, Acts 19:9, Acts 24:14

evil: 2 Peter 2:12, Acts 14:2, 1 Peter 2:12, Jude 1:10, Jude 1:15

Reciprocal: Leviticus 13:44 - utterly unclean Deuteronomy 31:29 - corrupt yourselves Ezra 4:2 - Let us Proverbs 19:27 - General Jeremiah 5:31 - prophets Jeremiah 23:14 - in the Jeremiah 29:8 - your dreams Jeremiah 44:15 - all the Ezekiel 12:24 - General Ezekiel 13:19 - for handfuls Matthew 13:41 - and they Matthew 18:7 - unto Mark 9:42 - offend Acts 5:36 - to whom Acts 8:10 - they Romans 16:17 - cause 1 Corinthians 11:19 - there 1 Corinthians 15:33 - evil Galatians 2:4 - unawares 1 Timothy 5:15 - General 2 Timothy 2:16 - for Titus 1:10 - there Hebrews 12:15 - and thereby James 3:6 - a world 1 Peter 4:14 - on 1 John 4:5 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning—that was the sixth day.
Genesis 2:8
The Lord made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.
Genesis 2:11
The first one is the Pishon River that flows through the land of Havilah,
Exodus 23:12
Work the first six days of the week, but rest and relax on the seventh day. This law is not only for you, but for your oxen, donkeys, and slaves, as well as for any foreigners among you.
Exodus 31:17
This day will always serve as a reminder, both to me and to the Israelites, that I made the heavens and the earth in six days, then on the seventh day I rested and relaxed.
Deuteronomy 5:14
but the seventh day of the week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your oxen or donkeys or any other animal, not even those foreigners who live in your towns. And don't make your slaves do any work.
Isaiah 58:13
But first, you must start respecting the Sabbath as a joyful day of worship. You must stop doing and saying whatever you please on this special day.
John 5:17
But Jesus said, "My Father has never stopped working, and that is why I keep on working."
Hebrews 4:4
In fact, somewhere the Scriptures say that by the seventh day, God had finished his work, and so he rested.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And many shall follow their pernicious ways,.... Their principles and their practices, which lead to destruction, The Complutensian edition, the Alexandrian copy, and six copies of Beza's, and others, read "their lasciviousnesses"; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "their luxuries"; and all the Oriental versions seem to have read in like manner. The Syriac version renders it, "their impurity"; and the Arabic version, "their unchastities"; and the Ethiopic version, "their lust"; and which seems to have respect to the impure conversation of the followers of Simon Magus, the Nicolaitans, the Gnostics, Carpocratians, and others, who indulged themselves in all unnatural lusts and uncleanness; and generally, when men make shipwreck of faith, they also do of a good conscience, and become immoral in their conversations; and yet, as destructive as their principles, and as dishonourable and scandalous as their practices be, many were, and are their followers; so it was foretold by Christ, Matthew 24:11, and so it has been, Revelation 13:3. The road both of error and wickedness is a broad one, in which many walk; and a multitude is no proof of the truth of a church or of the principles of men, nor to be followed:

by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of; that is, either Christ, who is truth itself, and the true way to eternal life and happiness; or the Gospel, the word of truth, which holds forth Christ the truth, and points to him, and every other truth, and nothing but truth; or the Christian religion, which is the true way, in opposition to all sects and heresies; and is what should be blasphemed and spoken against, either by these men or their followers; for the phrase may be rendered, "by whom", as it is in the Vulgate Latin version, and the meaning be, that they should, in a blasphemous way, speak and write against Christ and his truths, reproach and revile them, and in a virulent manner oppose them, and trample them under foot: "or for the sake of them", as other versions read; and as we do; "by reason of them"; they should be the occasion, by their impure lives, of the name of Christ, and his doctrines, being blasphemed by profane and irreligious men; see Romans 2:24. The Alexandrian copy, and one of Stephens's, read "the glory of truth"; and so the Ethiopic version, "the glory of his truth".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And many shall follow their pernicious ways - Margin: “lascivious.” A large number of manuscripts and versions read “lascivious” here - ἀσελγείαις aselgeiais - instead of “pernicious” - ἀπωλείαις apōleiais (see Wetstein), and this reading is adopted in the editions of the Greek Testament by Tittman, Griesbach, and Hahn, and it seems probable that this is the correct reading. This will agree well with the account elsewhere given of these teachers, that their doctrines tended to licentiousness, 2 Peter 2:10, 2 Peter 2:14, 2 Peter 2:18-19. It is a very remarkable circumstance, that those who have denied the essential doctrines of the gospel have been so frequently licentious in their own conduct, and have inculcated opinions which tended to licentiousness. Many of the forms of religious error have somehow had a connection with this vice. People who are corrupt at heart often seek to obtain the sanction of religion for their corruptions.

By reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of -

(1)Because they were professors of religion, and religion would seem to be held responsible for their conduct; and,

(2)Because they were professed teachers of religion, and, by many, would be understood as expounding the true doctrines of the gospel.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Peter 2:2. Many shall follow — WILL follow, because determined to gratify their sinful propensities.

Pernicious ways — ταις απωλειαις. Their destructions; i.e. the heresies of destruction, or destructive opinions, mentioned above. But instead of απωλειαις, destructions, ασελγειαις, lasciviousnesses or uncleannesses, is the reading of ABC, and upwards of sixty others, most of which are among the most ancient, correct, and authentic. This is the reading also of both the Syriac, all the Arabic, the Coptic, AEthiopic, Armenian, Slavonic, Vulgate, Chrysostom, Theophylact, OEcumenius, and Jerome. A very few, and those of little repute, have the word in the text.

The word lasciviousnesses is undoubtedly the true reading, and this points out what the nature of the heresies was: it was a sort of Antinomianism; they pampered and indulged the lusts of the flesh; and, if the Nicolaitans are meant, it is very applicable to them, for they taught the community of wives, c. Griesbach has received this reading into the text.

By reason of whom — These were persons who professed Christianity and because they were called Christians, and followed such abominable practices, the way of truth-the Christian religion, βλασφημηθησεται, was blasphemed. Had they called themselves by any name but that of Christ, his religion would not have suffered.


 
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