2 Peter 2:4 - Plain English Version

⁴ Think about these stories from a long time ago. At one time, some of God’s angel messengers did the wrong thing. They didn’t do what God told them to do, so God punished them. He threw them down into the dark hole called hell. He is keeping them there now, and later he will judge them.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

⁴ For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

⁴ For God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom.

American Standard Version (1901)

⁴ For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Common English Bible

⁴ God didn’t spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into the lowest level of the underworld and committed them to chains of darkness, keeping them there until the judgment.

Catholic Public Domain Version

⁴ For God did not spare those Angels who sinned, but instead delivered them, as if dragged down by infernal ropes, into the torments of the underworld, to be reserved unto judgment.

2 Peter 2:4 Cross References

Matthew 25:41

Then I will turn to the people on my left-hand side, and I will say to them, ‘Get away from me, you mob that God will punish. Go into that big fire that burns for ever. God made that fire for all the bad spirits and for their boss, the devil. And you have to go there too.

Mark 5:7

Jesus said to the bad spirit, “Come out of this man.” But the spirit in him made him yell at Jesus, “Why did you come here? I know you. You are Jesus. You are the son of God. He is the big boss over everything. Promise me truly that you will not hurt me.”

John 8:44

So, really, your father is the devil, the boss over the bad spirits, and you do anything he wants you to do. He was always a murderer and a liar, and nothing he says is true. Whenever he tells lies, he is just doing what he likes to do. All lies come from him. It is like he is the father of all lies.

Romans 8:32

He really did a lot for us. He sent his own son to die instead of us. And that’s not all. He will give us everything else that we need too.

2 Peter 2:11

Not even God’s angel messengers do that. Angels are much stronger than the other spirits, but whenever angels stand in front of God, they don’t talk against those other spirits or tell God to punish them.

2 Peter 2:5

At another time, the people in the world did lots of bad things and didn’t live God’s way. There was only one man that lived the right way. His name was Noah. He tried to tell all the other people to live God’s way too, but they didn’t listen to him. So God sent a big flood of water and drowned all those bad people. But he kept Noah safe, and he kept the 7 other people in his family safe too.

2 Peter 2:9

Those stories show us that God knows how to save his people. They are the people that listen properly to him and live his way, and he saves them from trouble. But when the day comes for him to judge everyone, he will punish people that don’t live the right way.

Jude 1:13

And those lying teachers are like a storm in the sea. The water washes around, and a lot of rubbish comes up to the top of the sea. That rubbish is like a picture of all the bad, dirty things that mob does. And those lying teachers are like stars that moved away from their proper place in the sky. Those lying teachers don’t do the things God wants them to do. So God made a dark, black place for them, and he will put them there, and they will stay there for ever.

Jude 1:6

And think about the stories about the angels, God’s spirit messengers. Some of them didn’t want to do what God told them. They took power that God didn’t give them. They left their proper place in heaven. So God tied them up for ever and put them in a dark place. God will keep them there until the great day. Then God will judge everyone on that day.