1:1 From Simeon ¹  Peter, ²  a slave ³  and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God ⁴  and Savior, ⁵  Jesus Christ, have been granted ⁶  a faith just as precious ⁷  as ours. 1:2 May grace and peace be lavished on you ⁸  as you grow ⁹  in the rich knowledge ¹⁰  of God and of Jesus our Lord! ¹¹ 

1:3 I can pray this because his divine power ¹²  has bestowed on us everything necessary ¹³  for life and godliness through the rich knowledge ¹⁴  of the one who called ¹⁵  us by ¹⁶  his own glory and excellence. 1:4 Through these things ¹⁷  he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised ¹⁸  you may become partakers of the divine nature, ¹⁹  after escaping ²⁰  the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. ²¹  1:5 For this very reason, ²²  make every effort ²³  to add to your faith excellence, ²⁴  to excellence, knowledge; 1:6 to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; ²⁵  to perseverance, godliness; 1:7 to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish ²⁶  love. ²⁷  1:8 For if ²⁸  these things are really yours ²⁹  and are continually increasing, ³⁰  they will keep you from becoming ³¹  ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of ³²  knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. ³³  1:9 But ³⁴  concerning the one who lacks such things ³⁵  – he is blind. That is to say, he is ³⁶  nearsighted, since he has forgotten about the cleansing of his past sins. 1:10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ³⁷  make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. ³⁸  For by doing this ³⁹  you will never ⁴⁰  stumble into sin. ⁴¹  1:11 For thus an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be richly provided for you.

1:12 Therefore, I intend to remind you constantly ⁴²  of these things even though you know them and are well established in the truth that you now have. 1:13 Indeed, as long as I am in this tabernacle, ⁴³  I consider it right to stir you up by way of a reminder, 1:14 since I know that my tabernacle will soon be removed, ⁴⁴  because ⁴⁵  our Lord Jesus Christ revealed this to me. ⁴⁶  1:15 Indeed, I will also make every effort that, after my departure, you have a testimony of these things. ⁴⁷ 

1:16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted fables when we made known to you the power and return ⁴⁸  of our Lord Jesus Christ; ⁴⁹  no, ⁵⁰  we were ⁵¹  eyewitnesses of his ⁵²  grandeur. ⁵³  1:17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when that ⁵⁴  voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory: “This is my dear Son, in whom I am delighted.” ⁵⁵  1:18 When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves ⁵⁶  heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ⁵⁷  1:19 Moreover, ⁵⁸  we ⁵⁹  possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. ⁶⁰  You do well if you pay attention ⁶¹  to this ⁶²  as you would ⁶³  to a light shining in a murky place, until the day dawns and the morning star ⁶⁴  rises in your hearts. ⁶⁵  1:20 Above all, you do well if you recognize ⁶⁶  this: ⁶⁷  No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, ⁶⁸  1:21 for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men ⁶⁹  carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

2:1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. ⁷⁰  These false teachers ⁷¹  will ⁷²  infiltrate your midst ⁷³  with destructive heresies, ⁷⁴  even to the point of ⁷⁵  denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring ⁷⁶  swift destruction on themselves. 2:2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. ⁷⁷  Because of these false teachers, ⁷⁸  the way of truth will be slandered. ⁷⁹  2:3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their ⁸⁰  condemnation pronounced long ago ⁸¹  is not sitting idly by; ⁸²  their ⁸³  destruction is not asleep.

2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, ⁸⁴  but threw them into hell ⁸⁵  and locked them up ⁸⁶  in chains ⁸⁷  in utter darkness, ⁸⁸  to be kept until the judgment, 2:5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, ⁸⁹  when God ⁹⁰  brought a flood on an ungodly world, ⁹¹  2:6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, ⁹²  having appointed ⁹³  them to serve as an example ⁹⁴  to future generations of the ungodly, ⁹⁵  2:7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless ⁹⁶  men, ⁹⁷  2:8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul ⁹⁸  by the lawless deeds he saw and heard ⁹⁹ ) 2:9 – if so, ¹⁰⁰  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, ¹⁰¹  and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment ¹⁰²  at the day of judgment, 2:10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires ¹⁰³  and who despise authority.

Brazen and insolent, ¹⁰⁴  they are not afraid to insult ¹⁰⁵  the glorious ones, ¹⁰⁶  2:11 yet even ¹⁰⁷  angels, who are much more powerful, ¹⁰⁸  do not bring a slanderous ¹⁰⁹  judgment against them before the Lord. ¹¹⁰  2:12 But ¹¹¹  these men, ¹¹²  like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed ¹¹³  – do not understand whom ¹¹⁴  they are insulting, and consequently ¹¹⁵  in their destruction they will be destroyed, ¹¹⁶  2:13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. ¹¹⁷  By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, ¹¹⁸  they are stains and blemishes, indulging ¹¹⁹  in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you. 2:14 Their eyes, ¹²⁰  full of adultery, ¹²¹  never stop sinning; ¹²²  they entice ¹²³  unstable people. ¹²⁴  They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children! ¹²⁵  2:15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, ¹²⁶  who loved the wages of unrighteousness, ¹²⁷  2:16 yet was rebuked ¹²⁸  for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, ¹²⁹  speaking with a human voice, ¹³⁰  restrained the prophet’s madness). ¹³¹ 

2:17 These men ¹³²  are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness ¹³³  have been reserved. 2:18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words ¹³⁴  they are able to entice, ¹³⁵  with fleshly desires and with debauchery, ¹³⁶  people ¹³⁷  who have just escaped ¹³⁸  from those who reside in error. ¹³⁹  2:19 Although these false teachers promise ¹⁴⁰  such people ¹⁴¹  freedom, they themselves are enslaved to ¹⁴²  immorality. ¹⁴³  For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved. ¹⁴⁴  2:20 For if after they have escaped the filthy things ¹⁴⁵  of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴⁶  they ¹⁴⁷  again get entangled in them and succumb to them, ¹⁴⁸  their last state has become worse for them than their first. 2:21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them. 2:22 They are illustrations of this true proverb: ¹⁴⁹  “A dog returns to its own vomit,” ¹⁵⁰  and “A sow, after washing herself, ¹⁵¹  wallows in the mire.” ¹⁵² 

3:1 Dear friends, this is already the second letter I have written ¹⁵³  you, in which ¹⁵⁴  I am trying to stir up ¹⁵⁵  your pure mind by way of reminder: 3:2 I want you to recall ¹⁵⁶  both ¹⁵⁷  the predictions ¹⁵⁸  foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. ¹⁵⁹  3:3 Above all, understand this: ¹⁶⁰  In the last days blatant scoffers ¹⁶¹  will come, being propelled by their own evil urges ¹⁶²  3:4 and saying, ¹⁶³  “Where is his promised return? ¹⁶⁴  For ever since ¹⁶⁵  our ancestors ¹⁶⁶  died, ¹⁶⁷  all things have continued as they were ¹⁶⁸  from the beginning of creation.” 3:5 For they deliberately suppress this fact, ¹⁶⁹  that by the word of God ¹⁷⁰  heavens existed long ago and an earth ¹⁷¹  was formed out of water and by means of water. 3:6 Through these things ¹⁷²  the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. 3:7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. ¹⁷³ 

3:8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, ¹⁷⁴  that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, ¹⁷⁵  as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish ¹⁷⁶  for any ¹⁷⁷  to perish but for all to come to repentance. ¹⁷⁸  3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, ¹⁷⁹  the heavens will disappear ¹⁸⁰  with a horrific noise, ¹⁸¹  and the celestial bodies ¹⁸²  will melt away ¹⁸³  in a blaze, ¹⁸⁴  and the earth and every deed done on it ¹⁸⁵  will be laid bare. ¹⁸⁶  3:11 Since all these things are to melt away ¹⁸⁷  in this manner, ¹⁸⁸  what sort of people must we ¹⁸⁹  be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, ¹⁹⁰  3:12 while waiting for and hastening ¹⁹¹  the coming of the day of God? ¹⁹²  Because of this day, ¹⁹³  the heavens will be burned up and ¹⁹⁴  dissolve, and the celestial bodies ¹⁹⁵  will melt away in a blaze! ¹⁹⁶  3:13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for ¹⁹⁷  new heavens and a new earth, in which ¹⁹⁸  righteousness truly resides. ¹⁹⁹ 

3:14 Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for ²⁰⁰  these things, strive to be found ²⁰¹  at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence. ²⁰²  3:15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, ²⁰³  just as also our dear brother Paul ²⁰⁴  wrote to you, ²⁰⁵  according to the wisdom given to him, 3:16 speaking of these things in all his letters. ²⁰⁶  Some things in these letters ²⁰⁷  are hard to understand, things ²⁰⁸  the ignorant and unstable twist ²⁰⁹  to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. ²¹⁰  3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, ²¹¹  be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men ²¹²  and fall from your firm grasp on the truth. ²¹³  3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge ²¹⁴  of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on ²¹⁵  that eternal day. ²¹⁶