Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and ^(A)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have ^[a]obtained ^(B)like^[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

^2 (C)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His ^(D)divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ^(E)who called us by glory and virtue, ^4 (F)by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the ^[c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

⁵ But also for this very reason, ^(H)giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue ^(I)knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control ^[d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and ^(J)to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither ^[e]barren ^(K)nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is ^(L)shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent ^(M)to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹¹ These were more ^[a]fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and ^(A)searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Spiritual Immaturity

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the ^[a]oracles of God; and you have come to need ^(A)milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is ^(B)a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are ^[b]of full age, that is, those who by reason of ^[c]use have their senses exercised ^(C)to discern both good and evil.

^23 [a]gentleness, self-control. ^(A)Against such there is no law.

² For ^(A)we all stumble in many things. ^(B)If anyone does not stumble in word, ^(C)he is a ^[a]perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

¹⁴ Do all things ^(A)without ^[a]complaining and ^(B)disputing,^{[b] 15} that you may become blameless and ^[c]harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as ^(C)lights in the world,

^7 (A)I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.