Chapter
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Verse

2 Peter 2:13

ESV suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
NIV They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
NASB suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you,
CSB They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you.
NLT Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.
KJV And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
NKJV and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

What does 2 Peter 2:13 mean?

Peter continues describing the sins and impending judgment of false teachers. These men have been attempting to lead the original readers of this letter away from the truth of the gospel of Jesus. In this verse, Peter writes to assure his readers that the false teachers will not get away with what they're doing. As much as they seem to be succeeding in the present moment, they will suffer wrong as the payment for the wrong they are doing. God is paying attention; judgment and destruction will follow.

One of the characteristics of these false teachers was an indulgence in sexual immorality. Peter now writes that they are so bold about their sin that they carouse or revel in their immorality in broad daylight. They lack even the shame to hide their sinful choices under the dark of night. In a more modern sense, this is the "loud and proud" attitude. Those who take this approach do not hide their sin, and are not subtle about it. Instead, they parade it for others to see.

Peter reveals that these false teachers are disfiguring the church. This is in the same way a stain or blemish might mar a shirt, for instance. They feast with the true believers while continuing to tell their lies about who Jesus is. This feasting Peter mentions may refer to immoral partying that people in the church were being lured into by these false teachers. Or it may be that the false teachers were attending the official gatherings of the early church, which included taking part in the Lord's Supper, creating a serious "stain" on that meaningful time before God.

This relates to an important point about church purity. Paul makes the point in Ephesians 5:3 that certain kinds of immorality should not be tolerated within the community of the church. It can be difficult to strike a balance between loving sinners, and not accepting sin. However, it is important for the church to stand for moral conduct. At some point, associating with an unrepentant sinner damages the reputation of the church, interfering with the spread of the gospel.
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