Falsos profetas y falsos maestros
(Jud. 3-13)1 Pero hubo también falsos profetas entre el pueblo, como habrá entre vosotros falsos maestros, que introducirán encubiertamente herejías destructoras, y aun negarán al Señor que los rescató, atrayendo sobre sí mismos destrucción repentina. 2 Y muchos seguirán sus disoluciones, por causa de los cuales el camino de la verdad será blasfemado, 3 y por avaricia harán mercadería de vosotros con palabras fingidas. Sobre los tales ya de largo tiempo la condenación no se tarda, y su perdición no se duerme.
4 Porque si Dios no perdonó a los ángeles que pecaron, sino que arrojándolos al infierno los entregó a prisiones de oscuridad, para ser reservados al juicio; 5 y si no perdonó al mundo antiguo, sino que guardó a Noé, pregonero de justicia, con otras siete personas, trayendo el diluvio sobre el mundo de los impíos;
6 y si condenó por destrucción a las ciudades de Sodoma y de Gomorra, reduciéndolas a ceniza
y poniéndolas de ejemplo a los que habían de vivir impíamente, 7 y libró al justo Lot, abrumado por la nefanda conducta de los malvados
8 (porque este justo, que moraba entre ellos, afligía cada día su alma justa, viendo y oyendo los hechos inicuos de ellos), 9 sabe el Señor librar de tentación a los piadosos, y reservar a los injustos para ser castigados en el día del juicio; 10 y mayormente a aquellos que, siguiendo la carne, andan en concupiscencia e inmundicia, y desprecian el señorío.
Atrevidos y contumaces, no temen decir mal de las potestades superiores, 11 mientras que los ángeles, que son mayores en fuerza y en potencia, no pronuncian juicio de maldición contra ellas delante del Señor. 12 Pero estos, hablando mal de cosas que no entienden, como animales irracionales, nacidos para presa y destrucción, perecerán en su propia perdición, 13 recibiendo el galardón de su injusticia, ya que tienen por delicia el gozar de deleites cada día. Estos son inmundicias y manchas, quienes aun mientras comen con vosotros, se recrean en sus errores. 14 Tienen los ojos llenos de adulterio, no se sacian de pecar, seducen a las almas inconstantes, tienen el corazón habituado a la codicia, y son hijos de maldición. 15 Han dejado el camino recto, y se han extraviado siguiendo el camino de Balaam hijo de Beor, el cual amó el premio de la maldad, 16 y fue reprendido por su iniquidad; pues una muda bestia de carga, hablando con voz de hombre, refrenó la locura del profeta.
17 Estos son fuentes sin agua, y nubes empujadas por la tormenta; para los cuales la más densa oscuridad está reservada para siempre. 18 Pues hablando palabras infladas y vanas, seducen con concupiscencias de la carne y disoluciones a los que verdaderamente habían huido de los que viven en error. 19 Les prometen libertad, y son ellos mismos esclavos de corrupción. Porque el que es vencido por alguno es hecho esclavo del que lo venció. 20 Ciertamente, si habiéndose ellos escapado de las contaminaciones del mundo, por el conocimiento del Señor y Salvador Jesucristo, enredándose otra vez en ellas son vencidos, su postrer estado viene a ser peor que el primero. 21 Porque mejor les hubiera sido no haber conocido el camino de la justicia, que después de haberlo conocido, volverse atrás del santo mandamiento que les fue dado. 22 Pero les ha acontecido lo del verdadero proverbio: El perro vuelve a su vómito,
y la puerca lavada a revolcarse en el cieno.
False Prophets and Teachers
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. 3 They will be greedy and cheat you with smooth talk. But long ago God decided to punish them, and God doesn't sleep.
4 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. 5
And during Noah's time, God did not have pity on the ungodly people of the world. He destroyed them with a flood, though he did save eight people, including Noah, who preached the truth.
6
God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
by burning them to ashes, and this is a warning to anyone else who wants to sin.
7-8
Lot lived right and was greatly troubled by the terrible way those wicked people were living. He was a good man, and day after day he suffered because of the evil things he saw and heard. So the Lord rescued him. 9 This shows that the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their sufferings and to punish evil people while they wait for the day of judgment.
10 The Lord is especially hard on people who disobey him and don't think of anything except their own filthy desires. They are reckless and proud and are not afraid of cursing the glorious beings in heaven. 11 Although angels are more powerful than these evil beings,
even the angels don't dare to accuse them to the Lord.
12 These people are no better than senseless animals that live by their feelings and are born to be caught and killed. They speak evil of things they don't know anything about. But their own corrupt deeds will destroy them. 13 They have done evil, and they will be rewarded with evil.
They think it is fun to have wild parties during the day. They are immoral, and the meals they eat with you are spoiled by the shameful and selfish way they carry on.
14 All they think about is having sex with someone else's husband or wife. There is no end to their wicked deeds. They trick people who are easily fooled, and their minds are filled with greedy thoughts. But they are headed for trouble!
15
They have left the true road and have gone down the wrong path by following the example of the prophet Balaam. He was the son of Beor and loved what he got from being a crook. 16 But a donkey corrected him for this evil deed. It spoke to him with a human voice and made him stop his foolishness.
17 These people are like dried up water holes and clouds blown by a windstorm. The darkest part of hell is waiting for them. 18 They brag out loud about their stupid nonsense. And by being vulgar and crude, they trap people who have barely escaped from living the wrong kind of life. 19 They promise freedom to everyone. But they are merely slaves of filthy living, because people are slaves of whatever controls them.
20 When they learned about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they escaped from the filthy things of this world. But they are again caught up and controlled by these filthy things, and now they are in worse shape than they were at first. 21 They would have been better off if they had never known about the right way. Even after they knew what was right, they turned their backs on the holy commandments they were given. 22
What happened to them is just like the true saying,
“A dog will come back
to lick up its own vomit.
A pig that has been washed
will roll in the mud.”