2 Peter 2:15
New International Version
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.

New Living Translation
They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.

English Standard Version
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

Berean Standard Bible
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

Berean Literal Bible
Having forsaken the straight way, they have gone astray, having followed in the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wage of unrighteousness.

King James Bible
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

New King James Version
They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

New American Standard Bible
abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness;

NASB 1995
forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

NASB 1977
forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

Legacy Standard Bible
Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

Amplified Bible
Abandoning the straight road [that is, the right way to live], they have gone astray; they have followed the way of [the false teacher] Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness;

Christian Standard Bible
They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness

American Standard Version
forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when they abandoned the straight way, they strayed and went in the way of Balaam, son of Beor, he who loved the wages of evil;

Contemporary English Version
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.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Leaving the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of iniquity,

English Revised Version
forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
These false teachers have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Balaam, son of Beor. Balaam loved what his wrongdoing earned him.

Good News Translation
They have left the straight path and have lost their way; they have followed the path taken by Balaam son of Beor, who loved the money he would get for doing wrong

International Standard Version
They have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Bosor's son Balaam, who loved the reward he got for doing wrong.

Literal Standard Version
having forsaken a right way, they went astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the [son] of Bosor, who loved a reward of unrighteousness,

Majority Standard Bible
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness.

New American Bible
Abandoning the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved payment for wrongdoing,

NET Bible
By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

New Revised Standard Version
They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of doing wrong,

New Heart English Bible
Forsaking the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Who have forsaken the right way, and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Weymouth New Testament
Forsaking the straight road, they have gone astray, having eagerly followed in the steps of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was bent on securing the wages of unrighteousness.

World English Bible
Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing;

Young's Literal Translation
having forsaken a right way, they did go astray, having followed in the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who a reward of unrighteousness did love,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Deliverance from False Prophets
14Their 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. 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But 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.…

Cross References
Numbers 22:5
he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt," said Balak. "They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.

Numbers 22:7
The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.

Numbers 22:21
So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Numbers 22:32
The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.

Deuteronomy 23:4
For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.

Nehemiah 13:2
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).

Acts 13:10
and said, "O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?


Treasury of Scripture

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

forsaken.

1 Samuel 12:23
Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

1 Kings 18:18
And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

1 Kings 19:10
And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

Balaam.

Numbers 22:5-7
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: …

son of Beor.

Numbers 22:18-21,23,28
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more…

Numbers 31:16
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 23:4,5
Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee…

wages.

Acts 1:18
Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

Jump to Previous
Astray Balaam Bent Beor Be'or Eagerly Error Followed Following Forsaken Forsaking Gain Hire Loved Pleased Reward Right Road Steps Straight True. Turning Unrighteousness Wages Way Wrongdoing
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Astray Balaam Bent Beor Be'or Eagerly Error Followed Following Forsaken Forsaking Gain Hire Loved Pleased Reward Right Road Steps Straight True. Turning Unrighteousness Wages Way Wrongdoing
2 Peter 2
1. Peter warns of false teachers, showing the impiety and punishment both of them and their followers;
7. from which the godly shall be delivered, as Lot was out of Sodom;
10. and more fully describes the manners of those profane and blasphemous seducers.














(15) The right way.--(Comp. Acts 13:10.) In the Shepherd of Hermas (I. Vis. III. vii. 1) we have "Who have believed indeed, but through their doubting have forsaken their true way." (See Notes on 2Peter 2:1; 2Peter 2:3; 2Peter 2:13; 2Peter 2:20; 2Peter 3:5.) . . . Verse 15. - Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray; literally, forsaking (or having forsaken; there are two slightly differing readings, both well supported) the right way, they went astray. The false teachers in St. Peter's time were like Elymas the sorcerer, whom St. Paul accused of perverting "the right ways of the Lord" (Acts 13:10; comp. also verse 2 of this chapter). In the 'Shepherd of Hermas' occurs what may be an echo of this verse: "Who... have forsaken their true way" (Vis., 3:7. 1). Following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor. The word rendered "following" (ἐξακολουθήσαντες) is found also in chapter 2 Peter 1:16 and 2 Peter 2:2 of this Epistle, but nowhere else in the New Testament; it means "to follow out to the end." Comp. Numbers 22:32, where the angel of the Lord says of Balaam, "Thy way is perverse before me." The form "Bosor," instead of "Beor," arose probably from a peculiar (perhaps Galilaean) pronunciation of the guttural ע in בְּעור. Thus we, perhaps, have here an undesigned coincidence, a slight confirmation of St. Peter's authorship: he was a Galilaean, and his speech betrayed him (Matthew 26:73); one characteristic of the Galilaean dialect was a mispronunciation of the gutturals. But some commentators see in the resemblance of the form "Bosor" to the Hebrew בָּשָׂר, flesh, an allusion to those sins of the flesh into which Balaam allured the Israelites. Compare the Jewish use of such names as Ishbosheth in derision for Eshbaal ("the man of shame" for "the man of Baal"), and Jerubbesheth (2 Samuel 11:21) for Jerubbaal. The references to Balaam here, in St. Jude, the Book of the Revelation, and 1 Corinthians 10:8, show that his history had made a great impression on the mind of thoughtful Christians. St. John connects his name with the Nicolaitanes in Revelation 2:15, much as St. Peter here connects it with the false teachers of his time. Some, again, see in the etymology of the word "Nicolaitane" an allusion to that of "Balaam," as if the Nicolaitanes were followers of Balaam. There is another explanation in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' that the word "Bosor" is an Aramaic form, and that "the form possibly became familiar to St. Peter during his residence at Babylon, and suggests the probability that Aramaic traditions were still current respecting Balaam at the Christian era, and on the banks of the Euphrates" (additional note on Numbers 22:5). But the two oldest manuscripts read "Beer" here. Who loved the wages of unrighteousness (comp. verse 13, and also St. Peter's words in Acts 1:18). Balaam is not definitely accused of covetousness in the Old Testament narrative; but his conduct can be explained by no other motive.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
They have left
Καταλιπόντες (Katalipontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2641: From kata and leipo; to leave down, i.e. Behind; by implication, to abandon, have remaining.

[the] straight
εὐθεῖαν (eutheian)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2117: Perhaps from eu and tithemi; straight, i.e. level, or true; adverbially at once.

way
ὁδὸν (hodon)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3598: A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; figuratively, a mode or means.

and wandered off
ἐπλανήθησαν (eplanēthēsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4105: To lead astray, deceive, cause to wander. From plane; to roam.

to follow
ἐξακολουθήσαντες (exakolouthēsantes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1811: To follow after, imitate. From ek and akoloutheo; to follow out, i.e. to imitate, obey, yield to.

the
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

way
ὁδῷ (hodō)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3598: A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; figuratively, a mode or means.

of Balaam
Βαλαὰμ (Balaam)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 903: Balaam, son of Beor of Pethor on the Euphrates, a soothsayer in the Old Testament. Of Hebrew origin; Balaam, a Mesopotamian.

[son] of Beor,
Βοσὸρ (Bosor)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 1007: Bosor, father of Balaam. Of Hebrew origin; Bosor, a Moabite.

who
ὃς (hos)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

loved
ἠγάπησεν (ēgapēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 25: To love, wish well to, take pleasure in, long for; denotes the love of reason, esteem. Perhaps from agan; to love.

[the] wages
μισθὸν (misthon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3408: (a) pay, wages, salary, (b) reward, recompense, punishment. Apparently a primary word; pay for service, good or bad.

of wickedness.
ἀδικίας (adikias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 93: Injustice, unrighteousness, hurt. From adikos; injustice; morally, wrongfulness.


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NT Letters: 2 Peter 2:15 Forsaking the right way they went astray (2 Pet. 2P iiP ii Pet)
2 Peter 2:14
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