OF PETER II
[1] SYMEON PETER, bondman and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained an equally precious faith with us in the righteousness of our :God and Saviour Jesus Christ: [2] Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of :God and of Jesus our :Lord; [3] since his divine :power hath granted to us all things pertaining unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us through glory and virtue; [4] whereby he hath granted to us the precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye become partakers of divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. [5] Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your :faith supply :virtue; and in :virtue :knowledge; [6] and in :knowledge :self-control; and in self-control :patience;1 and in :patience1 :godliness; [7] and in :godliness brotherly2 :kindness; and in your brotherly2 :kindness :love. [8] For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our :Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For who lacketh these is blind, short-sighted,3 having forgotten the cleansing from his old :sins. [10] Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: [11] for thus shall be richly supplied to you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our :Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
[12] Wherefore I shall be ready always to remind you of these things, though ye know and are established in the truth which is with you. [13] And I think it right, as long as I am in this :tabernacle, to stir you up by reminder; [14] knowing that the putting off of my :tabernacle cometh swiftly, even as our :Lord Jesus Christ also showed me. [15] Yea, I will give diligence that at every time ye be able after my :decease4 to call these things to remembrance. [16] For not by following cunningly devised fables, made we known to you the power and presence of our :Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his :majesty. [17] For he received5 from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my :beloved :Son, in whom I am well pleased: [18] and this :voice we heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount. [19] And we have the word of prophecy6 made more sure; whereto ye do well to take heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark7 place, until day dawn, and the day-star arise in your :hearts: [20] knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of its own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever borne by man's will; but men spake from God, being borne on by the Holy Spirit.
[1] But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive1 heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their :lasciviousnesses; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. [3] And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose :sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their :destruction slumbereth not. [4] For if :God spared not angels that sinned, but cast2 them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be kept unto judgment; [5] and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others,3 a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon a world of the ungodly; [6] and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them, having made them an example of things to come to the ungodly; [7] and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked [8] (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, tormented his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): [9] the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto a day of judgment; [10] but chiefly them that go after flesh in lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Darers, self-willed, they tremble not at dignities,4 railing; [11] whereas angels, being greater in might and power, bring not railing judgment against them before the Lord. [12] But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals5 to6 be taken and corrupted, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their corruption also be corrupted, [13] suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it pleasure to revel by day, spots and blemishes, revelling in their :deceivings while they feast with you; [14] having eyes full of adultery,7 and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of a curse: [15] forsaking the straight way, they went astray, having followed the way of :Balaam the son of :Beōr, who loved the hire of unrighteousness: [16] but was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man's voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. [17] These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of the darkness hath been reserved. [18] For, uttering great swellings of vanity, they entice in lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; [19] promising them liberty, while themselves are bondmen of :corruption; for of whom8 a man is worsted of the same is he also brought into bondage. [20] For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and are worsted, the last state is become worse with them than the first. [21] For it were better for them not 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 :after the true proverb, A dog turning to his :own vomit again, and, A washed sow to wallowing in mire.
[1] This is now, beloved, a second letter that I write to you; in these I stir up your sincere mind by reminder; [2] that ye should remember the words spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles:1 [3] knowing this first, that in the last of the days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own :lusts, [4] and saying, Where is the promise of his presence? for, since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue thus from beginning of creation. [5] For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and through water, by the word of :God; [6] by which means the then world, overflowed with water, perished: [7] but the present heavens, and the earth, by the same word have been stored2 up for fire, being reserved against a day of judgment and destruction of ungodly :men.
[8] But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [9] The Lord is not slack concerning his :promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. [10] But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements3 shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works therein shall be disclosed.4 [11] Since these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, [12] looking for and hastening the presence of the day of :God, by reason of which heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and elements3 shall melt with fervent heat? [13] But, according to his :promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
[14] Wherefore, beloved, since ye look for these, give diligence to be found in peace, spotless and blameless before him. [15] And account that the longsuffering of our :Lord is salvation; even as our beloved :brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you; [16] as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned5 and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own :destruction. [17] Ye therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, beware lest, carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own :stedfastness. [18] But grow in grace and knowledge of our :Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and unto the day of the age.