2 Peter 2:1

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2 Peter 2:1–3 · Berean Standard Bible

1 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 Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.

3 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.

Greek words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Deuteronomy 13:1

If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,

Deuteronomy 13:2

and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,”

Deuteronomy 13:3

you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

1 Kings 18:19

Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

1 Kings 18:20

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:21

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

1 Kings 18:22

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

1 Kings 22:6

So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Nehemiah 6:12

I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had uttered this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Nehemiah 6:13

He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would sin by doing as he suggested, so they could give me a bad name in order to discredit me.

Nehemiah 6:14

O my God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat for what they have done, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who tried to intimidate me.

Isaiah 9:15

The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.

Isaiah 56:10

Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11

Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

Jeremiah 14:13

“Ah, Lord GOD!” I replied, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’”

Jeremiah 14:14

“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds.

Jeremiah 14:15

Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!

Jeremiah 23:16

This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:17

They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’

Jeremiah 23:25

“I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’

Jeremiah 23:26

How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds?

Jeremiah 23:27

They suppose the dreams that they tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their fathers forgot My name through the worship of Baal.

Jeremiah 23:28

Let the prophet who has a dream retell it, but let him who has My word speak it truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain?” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:29

“Is not My word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that smashes a rock?”

Jeremiah 23:30

“Therefore behold,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words they attribute to Me.”

Jeremiah 23:31

“Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and proclaim, ‘The LORD declares it.’”

Jeremiah 23:32

“Indeed,” declares the LORD, “I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people,” declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 27:14

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying to you a lie.

Jeremiah 27:15

For I have not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

Jeremiah 28:15

Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.

Jeremiah 28:16

Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

Jeremiah 28:17

And in the seventh month of that very year, the prophet Hananiah died.

Jeremiah 29:8

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.

Jeremiah 29:9

For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 29:31

“Send a message telling all the exiles what the LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you—though I did not send him—and has made you trust in a lie,

Jeremiah 29:32

this is what the LORD says: ‘I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.’”

Jeremiah 37:19

Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, claiming, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or this land’?

Lamentations 2:14

The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.

Ezekiel 13:3

This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, yet have seen nothing.

Ezekiel 13:4

Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins.

Ezekiel 13:5

You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 13:6

They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.

Ezekiel 13:7

Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?

Ezekiel 13:8

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:9

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:10

Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,

Ezekiel 13:11

tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth.

Ezekiel 13:12

Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’

Ezekiel 13:13

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury.

Ezekiel 13:14

I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel 13:15

And after I have vented My wrath against the wall and against those who whitewashed it, I will say to you: ‘The wall is gone, and so are those who whitewashed it—

Ezekiel 13:16

those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’

Ezekiel 13:17

Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them

Ezekiel 13:18

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?

Hosea 9:8

The prophet is Ephraim’s watchman, along with my God, yet the snare of the fowler lies on all his paths. Hostility is in the house of his God!

Micah 2:11

If a man of wind were to come and say falsely, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be just the preacher for this people!

Micah 3:5

This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths:

Micah 3:11

Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

Zechariah 13:3

And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.

Zechariah 13:4

And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.

Matthew 7:15

Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Luke 6:26

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way.

Romans 16:18

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

Matthew 24:5

For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:11

and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Matthew 24:24

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Mark 13:22

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

Luke 21:8

Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.

Acts 20:29

I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.

Acts 20:30

Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.

1 Corinthians 11:19

And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.

2 Corinthians 11:13

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:15

It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Galatians 4:17

Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them.

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

Colossians 2:8

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

Colossians 2:18

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you with speculation about what he has seen. Such a person is puffed up without basis by his unspiritual mind.

2 Thessalonians 2:3

Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.

2 Thessalonians 2:4

He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

2 Thessalonians 2:5

Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?

2 Thessalonians 2:6

And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

2 Thessalonians 2:7

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.

2 Thessalonians 2:9

The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,

2 Thessalonians 2:10

and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.

2 Thessalonians 2:11

For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie,

2 Thessalonians 2:12

in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

1 Timothy 4:2

influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

1 Timothy 4:3

They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1

But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come.

2 Timothy 3:2

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

2 Timothy 3:3

unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,

2 Timothy 3:4

traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2 Timothy 3:5

having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!

2 Timothy 3:6

They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,

2 Timothy 3:7

who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3:8

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth. They are depraved in mind and disqualified from the faith.

2 Timothy 3:9

But they will not advance much further. For just like Jannes and Jambres, their folly will be plain to everyone.

2 Timothy 4:3

For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.

Titus 1:11

who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.

1 John 2:18

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour.

1 John 2:19

They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us.

1 John 2:26

I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Jude 1:18

when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own ungodly desires.”

Revelation 2:9

I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 13:14

Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.

2 Peter 2:3

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.

Galatians 2:4

This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

Galatians 5:20

idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions,

Titus 3:10

Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition,

Matthew 10:33

But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

Luke 12:9

But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

Acts 3:13

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him.

Acts 3:14

You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.

2 Timothy 2:12

if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

2 Timothy 2:13

if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Jude 1:4

For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Revelation 2:13

I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Revelation 3:8

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.

Deuteronomy 32:6

Is this how you repay the LORD, O foolish and senseless people? Is He not your Father and Creator? Has He not made you and established you?

Acts 20:28

Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.

1 Corinthians 6:20

you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 7:23

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Galatians 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Hebrews 10:29

How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

1 Peter 1:8

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

Revelation 5:9

And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Malachi 3:5

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.

Philippians 3:19

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.