1
Lakini kuliondokea manabii wa uongo katika wale watu, kama vile kwenu kutakavyokuwako waalimu wa uongo, watakaoingiza kwa werevu uzushi wa kupoteza, wakimkana hata Bwana aliyewanunua, wakijiletea uharibifu usiokawia.
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2
Na wengi watafuata ufisadi wao; na kwa hao njia ya kweli itatukanwa.
Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.
3
Na katika kutamani watajipatia faida kwenu kwa maneno yaliyotungwa; ambao hukumu yao tangu zamani haikawii, wala uvunjifu wao hausinzii.
In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
4
Kwa maana ikiwa Mungu hakuwaachilia malaika waliokosa, bali aliwatupa shimoni, akawatia katika vifungo vya giza, walindwe hata ije hukumu;
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
5
wala hakuuachilia ulimwengu wa kale, bali alimhifadhi Nuhu, mjumbe wa haki, na watu wengine saba, hapo alipoleta Gharika juu ya ulimwengu wa wasiomcha Mungu;
if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
6
tena akaihukumu miji ya Sodoma na Gomora, akiipindua na kuifanya majivu, akaifanya iwe ishara kwa watu watakaokuwa hawamchi Mungu baada ya haya;
if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly;
7
akamwokoa Lutu, yule mwenye haki aliyehuzunishwa sana na mwenendo wa ufisadi wa hao wahalifu;
and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
8
maana mtu huyu mwenye haki akikaa kati yao, kwa kuona na kusikia, alijitesa roho yake yenye haki, siku baada ya siku, kwa matendo yao yasiyo na sheria;
(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—
9
basi, Bwana ajua kuwaokoa watauwa na majaribu, na kuwaweka wasio haki katika hali ya adhabu hata siku ya hukumu;
if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
10
na hasa wale waufuatao mwili katika tamaa ya mambo machafu. na kudharau mamlaka.
Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings.
11
Wenye ushupavu, wenye kujikinai, hawatetemeki wakiyatukana matukufu; ijapokuwa malaika ambao ni wakuu zaidi kwa uwezo na nguvu, hawaleti mashitaka mabaya juu yao mbele za Bwana.
Yet not even angels, though greater in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges against them before the Lord.
12
Lakini hao kama wanyama wasio na akili, ambao walizaliwa kama wanyama tu wa kukamatwa na kupotezwa, wakikufuru katika mambo wasiyoyajua, wataangamizwa katika maangamizo yao;
These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.
13
Wakipatikana na madhara, ambayo ni ujira wa udhalimu wao, wakidhania kuwa ulevi wakati wa mchana ni anasa; wamekuwa ni mawaa na aibu wakifuata anasa zisizo kiasi katika karamu zao za upendo, wafanyapo karamu pamoja nanyi;
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.
14
wenye macho yajaayo uzinzi, watu wasiokoma kutenda dhambi, wenye kuhadaa roho zisizo imara, wenye mioyo iliyozoezwa kutamani, wana wa laana;
Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
15
wakiiacha njia iliyonyoka, wakapotea, wakiifuata njia ya Balaamu, mwana wa Beori, aliyependa ujira wa udhalimu;
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
16
lakini alikaripiwa kwa uhalifu wake mwenyewe; punda, asiyeweza kusema, akinena kwa sauti ya kibinadamu, aliuzuia wazimu wa nabii yule.
But he was rebuked for his transgression by a donkey, otherwise without speech, that spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17
Hawa ni visima visivyo na maji, na mawingu yachukuliwayo na tufani, ambao weusi wa giza ni akiba waliyowekewa.
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
18
Maana wakinena maneno makuu mno ya kiburi, kwa tamaa za mwili na kwa ufisadi huwahadaa watu walioanza kuwakimbia wale wanaoenenda katika udanganyifu;
With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
19
wakiwaahidia uhuru, nao wenyewe ni watumwa wa uharibifu, maana mtu akishindwa na mtu huwa mtumwa wa mtu yule.
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
20
Kwa maana wale waliokwisha kuyakimbia machafu ya dunia kwa kumjua Bwana na Mwokozi Yesu Kristo, kama wakinaswa tena na kushindwa, hali yao ya mwisho imekuwa mbaya kuliko ile ya kwanza.
If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
21
Maana ingekuwa heri kwao kama wasingaliijua njia ya haki, kuliko kuijua, kisha kuiacha ile amri takatifu waliyopewa.
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them.
22
Lakini imetukia kwao sawasawa na ile mithali ya kweli, Mbwa ameyarudia matapiko yake mwenyewe, na nguruwe aliyeoshwa amerudi kugaa-gaa matopeni.
Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”