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.

Peter’s Approaching Death

¹² For this reason ^(N)I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, ^(O)though you know and are established in the present truth. ¹³ Yes, I think it is right, ^(P)as long as I am in this ^[f]tent, ^(Q)to stir you up by reminding you, ^14 (R)knowing that shortly I must ^[g]put off my tent, just as ^(S)our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. ¹⁵ Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my ^[h]decease.

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word^(T)

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(U)cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the ^(V)power and ^(W)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were ^(X)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ^(Y)“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on ^(Z)the holy mountain.

^19 [i]And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a ^(AA)light that shines in a dark place, ^(AB)until ^(AC)the day dawns and the morning star rises in your ^(AD)hearts; ²⁰ knowing this first, that ^(AE)no prophecy of Scripture is of any private ^[j]interpretation, ²¹ for ^(AF)prophecy never came by the will of man, ^(AG)but ^[k]holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(AH)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[l]does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to ^[m]hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of ^(AI)Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and ^(AJ)delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, ^(AK)tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then ^(AL)the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially ^(AM)those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. ^(AN)They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of ^[n]dignitaries, ¹¹ whereas ^(AO)angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

Depravity of False Teachers

¹² But these, ^(AP)like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, ^13 (AQ)and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure ^(AR)to ^[o]carouse in the daytime. ^(AS)They are spots and blemishes, ^[p]carousing in their own deceptions while ^(AT)they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[q]adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. ^(AU)They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of ^(AV)Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

^17 (AW)These are wells without water, ^[r]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[s]forever.

Deceptions of False Teachers

¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who ^[t]have actually escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of ^[u]corruption; ^(AX)for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into ^[v]bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they ^(AY)have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are ^(AZ)again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For ^(BA)it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ^(BB)“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

God’s Promise Is Not Slack^(BC)

3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which ^(BD)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words ^(BE)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ^(BF)and of the commandment of ^[w]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, ^(BG)walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of ^(BH)creation.” ⁵ For this they willfully forget: that ^(BI)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth ^(BJ)standing out of water and in the water, ^6 (BK)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But ^(BL)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for ^(BM)fire until the day of judgment and ^[x]perdition of ungodly men.

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(BN)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (BO)The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but ^(BP)is longsuffering toward ^[y]us, ^(BQ)not willing that any should perish but ^(BR)that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

¹⁰ But ^(BS)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which ^(BT)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[z]burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be ^(BU)in holy conduct and godliness, ^12 (BV)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will ^(BW)be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will ^(BX)melt with fervent heat? ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for ^(BY)new heavens and a ^(BZ)new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent ^(CA)to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that ^(CB)the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his ^(CC)epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the ^(CD)rest of the Scriptures.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, ^(CE)since you know this beforehand, ^(CF)beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ^18 (CG)but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

^(CH)To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

The Eternal Word^(A)

1 In the beginning ^(B)was the Word, and the ^(C)Word was ^(D)with God, and the Word was ^(E)God. ^2 (F)He was in the beginning with God. ^3 (G)All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ^4 (H)In Him was life, and ^(I)the life was the light of men. ⁵ And ^(J)the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not ^[a]comprehend it.

John’s Witness: The True Light

⁶ There was a ^(K)man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ This man came for a ^(L)witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might ^(M)believe. ⁸ He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that ^(N)Light. ^9 (O)That^[b] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and ^(P)the world did not know Him. ^11 (Q)He came to His ^[c]own, and His ^[d]own did not receive Him. ¹² But ^(R)as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ^13 (S)who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

^14 (T)And the Word ^(U)became ^(V)flesh and dwelt among us, and ^(W)we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, ^(X)full of grace and truth.

^15 (Y)John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ^(Z)‘He who comes after me ^[f]is preferred before me, ^(AA)for He was before me.’ ”

^16 [g]And of His ^(AB)fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For ^(AC)the law was given through Moses, but ^(AD)grace and ^(AE)truth came through Jesus Christ. ^18 (AF)No one has seen God at any time. ^(AG)The only begotten ^[h]Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

A Voice in the Wilderness^(AH)

¹⁹ Now this is ^(AI)the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

^20 (AJ)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you ^(AK)the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

²³ He said: ^(AL)“I am

as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴ Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. ²⁵ And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ John answered them, saying, ^(AN)“I baptize with water, ^(AO)but there stands One among you whom you do not know. ^27 (AP)It is He who, coming after me, ^[i]is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

²⁸ These things were done ^(AQ)in ^[j]Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God^(AR)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! ^(AS)The Lamb of God ^(AT)who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who ^[k]is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ³¹ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, ^(AU)therefore I came baptizing with water.”

^32 (AV)And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. ³³ I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, ^(AW)this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and testified that this is the ^(AX)Son of God.”

The First Disciples

³⁵ Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. ³⁶ And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ^(AY)“Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him speak, and they ^(AZ)followed Jesus. ³⁸ Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹ He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was ^(BA)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the ^[l]Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of ^[m]Jonah. ^(BB)You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, ^[n]A Stone).

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found ^(BC)Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^(BD)Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found ^(BE)Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom ^(BF)Moses in the law, and also the ^(BG)prophets, wrote—Jesus ^(BH)of Nazareth, the ^(BI)son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶ And Nathanael said to him, ^(BJ)“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, ^(BK)an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, ^(BL)You are the Son of God! You are ^(BM)the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(BN)hereafter^[o] you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”