1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To
those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in
the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace
and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has
granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through
these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world
because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.
5 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith
with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection
with love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they keep
you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these things is blind and
shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old
sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your
call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; 11
so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore
I intend always to remind you of these things, though you know
them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think
it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of
reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will
be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 And I will see
to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall
these things. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he
received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was
borne to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased," 18 we heard this voice borne
from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And
we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to
pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until
the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First
of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture
is a matter of one's own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy
ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit
spoke from God.
2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there
will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon
themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their licentiousness,
and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. 3 And in
their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old
their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has
not been asleep. 4 For if God did not spare the angels when they
sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of
nether gloom to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare
the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness,
with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world
of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example
to those who were to be ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous
Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked 8
(for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among
them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their
lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly
from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until
the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the
lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and wilful,
they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels,
though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a reviling
judgment upon them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational
animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed,
reviling in matters of which they are ignorant, will be destroyed
in the same destruction with them, 13 suffering wrong for their
wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They
are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation, carousing
with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin.
They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed.
Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way they have gone astray;
they have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved
gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression;
a dumb ass spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's
madness. 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a
storm; for them the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved.
18 For, uttering loud boasts of folly, they entice with licentious
passions of the flesh men who have barely escaped from those who
live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves
are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that
he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements
of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the
last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it
would have been better for them never to have known the way of
righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy
commandment delivered to them. 22 It has happened to them according
to the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and
the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire.
3:1 This is now the second letter that I have written to you,
beloved, and in both of them I have aroused your sincere mind
by way of reminder; 2 that you should remember the predictions
of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior
through your apostles. 3 First of all you must understand this,
that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following
their own passions 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of
his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things
have continued as they were from the beginning of creation."
5 They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God
heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and
by means of water, 6 through which the world that then existed
was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the
heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire,
being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly
men. 8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness,
but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord
will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with
a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and
the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. 11
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of
persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because
of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements
will melt with fire! 13 But according to his promise we wait for
new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14
Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be
found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count
the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved
brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16
speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some
things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable
twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest
you be carried away with the error of lawless men and lose your
own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the
day of eternity. Amen.
1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To
those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and
peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we
need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called
us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given
us his very great and precious promises, so that through them
you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption
in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make
every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;
and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess
these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from
being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted
and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his
past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to
make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,
you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into
the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 So
I will always remind you of these things, even though you know
them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13
I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in
the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put
it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And
I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will
always be able to remember these things. 16 We did not follow
cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his
majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 18 We
ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were
with him on the sacred mountain. 19 And we have the word of the
prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention
to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must
understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's
own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the
will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along
by the Holy Spirit.
2:1 But 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 sovereign Lord
who bought them---bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of
truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit
you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long
been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them
to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood
on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness,
and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is
going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous
man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (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 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from
trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while
continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those
who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise
authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander
celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger
and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against
such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these men blaspheme
in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts,
creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and
like beasts they too will perish. 13 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. 14 With eyes full
of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable;
they are experts in greed---an accursed brood! 15 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 But he was
rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey---a beast without speech---who
spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm.
Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty,
boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful
human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those
who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves
are slaves of depravity---for a man is a slave to whatever has
mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world
by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled
in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were
at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and
then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed
on to them. 22 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."
3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have
written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome
thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past
by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior
through your apostles. 3 First of all, you must understand that
in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their
own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this `coming'
he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as
it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately
forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the
earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters
also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the
same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,
being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly
men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the
Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are
like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as
some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear
with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth
and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will
be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward
to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about
the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will
melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking
forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this,
make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace
with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation,
just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that
God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking
in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that
are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort,
as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your
guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless
men and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory
both now and forever! Amen.