Chapter 1


1 ¶

Growth in Christian Virtue

Simon 4613 Peter 4074, a bond-servant 1401 and apostle 652 of Jesus 2424 Christ 5547,
2 ¶ Grace 5485 and peace 1515 be multiplied 4129 to you in the knowledge 1922 of God 2316 and of Jesus 2424 our Lord 2962;
3 seeing 5613 that His divine 2304 power 1411 has granted 1433 to us everything 3956 pertaining 4314 to life 2222 and godliness 2150, through 1223 the true 1922 knowledge 1922 of Him who called 2564 us by His own 2398 glory 1391 and excellence 703.
4 For by these 3739 He has granted 1433 to us His precious 5093 and magnificent 3176 promises 1862, so 2443 that by them you may become 1096 partakers 2844 of {the} divine 2304 nature 5449, having escaped 668 the corruption 5356 that is in the world 2889 by lust 1939.
5 Now 1161 for this 3778 very 846 reason also 2532, applying 3923 all 3956 diligence 4710, in your faith 4102 supply 2023 moral 703 excellence 703, and in {your} moral 703 excellence 703, knowledge 1108,
6 and in {your} knowledge 1108, self-control 1466, and in {your} self-control 1466, perseverance 5281, and in {your} perseverance 5281, godliness 2150,
7 and in {your} godliness 2150, brotherly 5360 kindness 5360, and in {your} brotherly 5360 kindness 5360, love 26.
8 For if these 3778 {qualities} are yours 4771 and are increasing 4121, they render 2525 you neither 3756 useless 692 nor 3761 unfruitful 175 in the true 1922 knowledge 1922 of our Lord 2962 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547.
9 For he who 3739 lacks these 3778 {qualities} is blind 5185 {or} short-sighted 3467, having forgotten {his} purification 2512 from his former 3819 sins 266.
10 Therefore 1352, brethren 80, be all 3123 the more 3123 diligent 4704 to make 4160 certain 949 about His calling 2821 and choosing 1589 you; for as long as you practice 4160 these 3778 things 3778, you will never stumble 4417;
11 for in this 3779 way 3779 the entrance 1529 into the eternal 166 kingdom 932 of our Lord 2962 and Savior 4990 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547 will be abundantly 4146 supplied 2023 to you.
12 ¶ Therefore 1352, I will always 104 be ready 3195 to remind 5279 you of these 3778 things 3778, even 2539 though 2539 you {already} know 3609 {them,} and have been established 4741 in the truth 225 which is present 3918 with {you.}
13 I consider 2233 it right 1342, as long 3745 as I am 1510 in this 3778 {earthly} dwelling 4638, to stir 1326 you up by way 1722 of reminder 5280,
14 knowing 3609 that the laying 595 aside 595 of my {earthly} dwelling 4638 is imminent 5031, as also 2532 our Lord 2962 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547 has made 1213 clear 1213 to me.
15 And I will also 2532 be diligent 4704 that at any 1539 time 1539 after 3326 my departure 1841 you will be able 2192 to call 4160 these 3778 things 3778 to mind 3420.
16

Eyewitnesses

¶ For we did not follow 1811 cleverly 4679 devised 4679 tales 3454 when we made 1107 known 1107 to you the power 1411 and coming 3952 of our Lord 2962 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547, but we were eyewitnesses 2030 of His majesty 3168.
17 For when He received 2983 honor 5092 and glory 1391 from God 2316 the Father 3962, such 5107 an utterance 5456 as this was made 5342 to Him by the Majestic 3169 Glory 1391, "This 3778 is My beloved 27 Son 5207 with whom 3739 I am 2106 well-pleased 2106"--
18 and we ourselves 2249 heard 191 this 3778 utterance 5456 made 5342 from heaven 3772 when we were with Him on the holy 40 mountain 3735.
19 ¶ {So} we have 2192 the prophetic 4397 word 3056 {made} more 949 sure 949, to which 3739 you do 4160 well 2573 to pay 4337 attention 4337 as to a lamp 3088 shining 5316 in a dark 850 place 5117, until 2193 the day 2250 dawns 1306 and the morning 5459 star 5459 arises 393 in your hearts 2588.
20 But know 1097 this 3778 first 4413 of all, that no prophecy 4394 of Scripture 1124 is {a matter} of one's 2398 own 2398 interpretation 1955,
21 for no 3756 prophecy 4394 was ever 4218 made 5342 by an act of human 444 will 2307, but men 444 moved 5342 by the Holy 40 Spirit 4151 spoke 2980 from God 2316.

Chapter 2


1

The Rise of False Prophets

But false 5578 prophets 5578 also 2532 arose 1096 among 1722 the people 2992, just 5613 as there will also 2532 be false 5572 teachers 5572 among 1722 you, who 3748 will secretly 3919 introduce 3919 destructive 684 heresies 139, even 2532 denying 720 the Master 1203 who bought 59 them, bringing 1863 swift 5031 destruction 684 upon themselves 1438.
2 Many 4183 will follow 1811 their sensuality 766, and because 1223 of them the way 3598 of the truth 225 will be maligned 987;
3 and in {their} greed 4124 they will exploit 1710 you with false 4112 words 3056; their judgment 2917 from long 1597 ago 1597 is not idle 691, and their destruction 684 is not asleep 3573.
4 ¶ For if 1487 God 2316 did not spare 5339 angels 32 when they sinned 264, but cast 5020 them into hell 5020 and committed 3860 them to pits 4618 of darkness 2217, reserved 5083 for judgment 2920;
5 and did not spare 5339 the ancient 744 world 2889, but preserved 5442 Noah 3575, a preacher 2783 of righteousness 1343, with seven 3590 others 3590, when He brought 1863 a flood 2627 upon the world 2889 of the ungodly 765;
6 and {if} He condemned 2632 the cities 4172 of Sodom 4670 and Gomorrah 1116 to destruction 2692 by reducing 5077 {them} to ashes 5077, having made 5087 them an example 5262 to those who would 3195 live 764 ungodly 764 {lives} thereafter 3195;
7 and {if} He rescued 4506 righteous 1342 Lot 3091, oppressed 2669 by the sensual 766 conduct 391 of unprincipled 113 men 113
8 (for by what 990 he saw 990 and heard 189 {that} righteous 1342 man 1342, while living 1460 among 1722 them, felt 928 {his} righteous 1342 soul 5590 tormented 928 day 2250 after 1537 day 2250 by {their} lawless 459 deeds 2041),
9 {then} the Lord 2962 knows 3609 how 3609 to rescue 4506 the godly 2152 from temptation 3986, and to keep 5083 the unrighteous 94 under punishment 2849 for the day 2250 of judgment 2920,
10 and especially 3122 those 3588 who indulge 4198 the flesh 4561 in {its} corrupt 3394 desires 1939 and despise 2706 authority 2963.
11 ¶ whereas 3699 angels 32 who are greater 3173 in might 2479 and power 1411 do not bring 5342 a reviling 989 judgment 2920 against 2596 them before 3844 the Lord 2962.
12 But these 3778, like 5613 unreasoning 249 animals 2226, born 1080 as creatures 5446 of instinct 5446 to be captured 259 and killed 5356, reviling 987 where they have 50 no 50 knowledge 50, will in the destruction 5356 of those 3778 creatures also 2532 be destroyed 5351,
13 suffering wrong 91 as the wages 3408 of doing 93 wrong 93. They count 2233 it a pleasure 2237 to revel 5172 in the daytime 2250. They are stains 4696 and blemishes 3470, reveling 1792 in their deceptions 539, as they carouse 4910 with you,
14 having 2192 eyes 3788 full 3324 of adultery 3428 that never 180 cease 180 from sin 266, enticing 1185 unstable 793 souls 5590, having 2192 a heart 2588 trained 1128 in greed 4124, accursed 2671 children 5043;
15 forsaking 2641 the right 2117 way 3598, they have gone 4105 astray 4105, having followed 1811 the way 3598 of Balaam 903, the {son} of Beor 961, who 3739 loved 25 the wages 3408 of unrighteousness 93;
16 but he received 2192 a rebuke 1649 for his own 2398 transgression 3892, {for} a mute 880 donkey 5268, speaking 5350 with a voice 5456 of a man 444, restrained 2967 the madness 3913 of the prophet 4396.
17 ¶ These 3778 are springs 4077 without 504 water 504 and mists 3658 driven 1643 by a storm 2978, for whom 3739 the black 2217 darkness 4655 has been reserved 5083.
18 For speaking 5350 out arrogant 5246 {words} of vanity 3153 they entice 1185 by fleshly 4561 desires 1939, by sensuality 766, those 3588 who barely 3643 escape 668 from the ones who live 390 in error 4106,
19 promising 1861 them freedom 1657 while they themselves 846 are slaves 1401 of corruption 5356; for by what 3739 a man 5100 is overcome 2274, by this 3778 he is enslaved 1402.
20 For if 1487, after they have escaped 668 the defilements 3393 of the world 2889 by the knowledge 1922 of the Lord 2962 and Savior 4990 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547, they are again 3825 entangled 1707 in them and are overcome 2274, the last 2078 state has become 1096 worse 5501 for them than the first 4413.
21 For it would be better 2909 for them not to have known 1921 the way 3598 of righteousness 1343, than 2228 having known 1921 it, to turn 5290 away 5290 from the holy 40 commandment 1785 handed 3860 on to them.
22 It has happened 4819 to them according to the true 227 proverb 3942, "A DOG 2965 RETURNS 1994 TO ITS OWN 2398 VOMIT 1829," and, "A sow 5300, after washing 3068, {returns} to wallowing 2946 in the mire 1004."

Chapter 3


1

Purpose of This Letter

This 3778 is now 2235, beloved 27, the second 1208 letter 1992 I am writing 1125 to you in which 3739 I am stirring 1326 up your sincere 1506 mind 1271 by way 1722 of reminder 5280,
2 that you should remember 3403 the words 4487 spoken 4275 beforehand 4275 by the holy 40 prophets 4396 and the commandment 1785 of the Lord 2962 and Savior 4990 {spoken} by your apostles 652.
3

The Coming Day of the Lord

Know 1097 this 3778 first 4413 of all, that in the last 2078 days 2250 mockers 1703 will come 2064 with {their} mocking 1701, following 4198 after 2596 their own 2398 lusts 1939,
4 and saying 3004, "Where 4226 is the promise 1860 of His coming 3952? For {ever} since the fathers 3962 fell 2837 asleep 2837, all 3956 continues 1265 just 3779 as it was from the beginning 746 of creation 2937."
5 For when they maintain 2309 this 3778, it escapes 2990 their notice 2990 that by the word 3056 of God 2316 {the} heavens 3772 existed 1510 long 1597 ago 1597 and {the} earth 1093 was formed 4921 out of water 5204 and by water 5204,
6 through 1223 which 3739 the world 2889 at that time 5119 was destroyed 622, being flooded 2626 with water 5204.
7 But by His word 3056 the present 3568 heavens 3772 and earth 1093 are being reserved 2343 for fire 4442, kept 5083 for the day 2250 of judgment 2920 and destruction 684 of ungodly 765 men 444.
8 ¶ But do not let this 3778 one 1520 {fact} escape 2990 your notice 2990, beloved 27, that with the Lord 2962 one 1520 day 2250 is like 5613 a thousand 5507 years 2094, and a thousand 5507 years 2094 like 5613 one 1520 day 2250.
9 The Lord 2962 is not slow 1019 about His promise 1860, as some 5100 count 2233 slowness 1022, but is patient 3114 toward 1519 you, not wishing 1014 for any 5100 to perish 622 but for all 3956 to come 5562 to repentance 3341.
10

A New Heaven and Earth

But the day 2250 of the Lord 2962 will come 2240 like 5613 a thief 2812, in which 3739 the heavens 3772 will pass 3928 away 3928 with a roar 4500 and the elements 4747 will be destroyed 3089 with intense 2741 heat 2741, and the earth 1093 and its works 2041 will be burned 2618 up.
11 ¶ Since all 3956 these 3778 things 3778 are to be destroyed 3089 in this 3779 way 3779, what 4217 sort 4217 of people ought 1163 you to be in holy 40 conduct 391 and godliness 2150,
12 looking 4328 for and hastening 4692 the coming 3952 of the day 2250 of God 2316, because 1223 of which 3739 the heavens 3772 will be destroyed 3089 by burning 4448, and the elements 4747 will melt 5080 with intense 2741 heat 2741!
13 But according 2596 to His promise 1862 we are looking 4328 for new 2537 heavens 3772 and a new 2537 earth 1093, in which 3739 righteousness 1343 dwells 2730.
14 ¶ Therefore 1352, beloved 27, since you look 4328 for these 3778 things 3778, be diligent 4704 to be found 2147 by Him in peace 1515, spotless 784 and blameless 298,
15 and regard 2233 the patience 3115 of our Lord 2962 {as} salvation 4991; just 2531 as also 2532 our beloved 27 brother 80 Paul 3972, according 2596 to the wisdom 4678 given 1325 him, wrote 1125 to you,
16 as also 2532 in all 3956 {his} letters 1992, speaking 2980 in them of these 3778 things 3778, in which 3739 are some 5100 things 5100 hard 1425 to understand 1425, which 3739 the untaught 261 and unstable 793 distort 4761, as {they do} also 2532 the rest 3062 of the Scriptures 1124, to their own 2398 destruction 684.
17 You therefore 3767, beloved 27, knowing 4267 this beforehand 4267, be on your guard 5442 so that you are not carried 4879 away 4879 by the error 4106 of unprincipled 113 men 113 and fall 1601 from your own 2398 steadfastness 4740,
18 but grow 837 in the grace 5485 and knowledge 1108 of our Lord 2962 and Savior 4990 Jesus 2424 Christ 5547. To Him {be} the glory 1391, both 2532 now 3568 and to the day 2250 of eternity 165. Amen 281.