For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard {speeches} which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. {honestly: or, decently}

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty {and} two months. {to continue: or, to make war}

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly {concerning} oppression: they speak loftily.

[To the chief Musician, Maschil, {A Psalm} of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.] Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God {endureth} continually. {Maschil: or, of instruction}

Death and life {are} in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! {call...: Heb. say concerning evil, It is good, etc}

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling {words}, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

From whence {come} wars and fightings among you? {come they} not hence, {even} of your lusts that war in your members? {fightings: or, brawlings} {lusts: or, pleasures}

For all that {is} in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become {as} sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: {adultery: Gr. an adulteress}

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

And them that are turned back from the LORD; and {those} that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Remember Lot's wife.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know {these things} before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

And my speech and my preaching {was} not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: {enticing: or, persuasible}

Again, When a righteous {man} doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. {righteousness which: Heb. righteousnesses}

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, {proud: or, a fool} {doting: or, sick}

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and {be} not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, {and} which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. {spoken...: Heb. magnified thy mouth}

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, {and} doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked {man} doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. {honestly: or, decently}

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. {to...: or, to edify profitably}

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

They have healed also the hurt {of the daughter} of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when {there is} no peace. {hurt: Heb. bruise, or, breach}

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! {a matter: or, wood}

They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly {concerning} oppression: they speak loftily.

Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good {things} in possession.

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: {by...: or, that I should save his life: Heb. by quickening him}

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

But shun profane {and} vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

And {that} they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. {recover...: Gr. awake} {taken...: Gr. taken alive}

And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he {is} unclean to you.

They zealously affect you, {but} not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. {exclude you: or, exclude us}

Nay, my sons; for {it is} no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. {transgress: or, cry out}

{And} lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and {that} I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and {that} I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest {there be} debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. {obeyed: or, believed}

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld {even} till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God {is} witness:

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn {were} eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, {even} these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; {as} the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; {therefore} they {are} unclean unto you.

Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard {them}. {boasted: Heb. magnified}

They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made {others} to hope that they would confirm the word.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble {you}, and thereby many be defiled; {fail...; or, fall from}

For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake.

In the mouth of the foolish {is} a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.

The righteous {is} more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them. {excellent: or, abundant}

The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, {and} the tongue that speaketh proud things: {proud: Heb. great}

So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

That we {henceforth} be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, {and} cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. {desires: Gr. wills}