Evil Leaders Rebuked

57 The righteous person perishes, and no one (A)takes it to heart;
And devout people are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous person is taken away from (B)evil,
He enters into peace;
They rest in their [a]beds,
Each one who (C)walked in his upright way.
“But come here, you sons of a (D)sorceress,
(E)Offspring of an adulterer and [b]a (F)prostitute!
Of whom do you make fun?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (G)rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
Who inflame yourselves among the (H)oaks,
(I)Under every luxuriant tree,
Who (J)slaughter the children in the [c]ravines,
Under the clefts of the rocks?
Among the [d](K)smooth stones of the [e]ravine
Is your portion, [f]they are your lot;
Even to them you have (L)poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Should I [g](M)relent of these things?
On a (N)high and lofty mountain
You have (O)made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have (P)uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their bed,
You have looked at their [h]manhood.
You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have (Q)sent your messengers a great distance
And made them go down to [i]Sheol.
10 You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘(R)It is hopeless!’
You found [j]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [k]faint.

11 “Of (S)whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did (T)not remember Me
[l]Nor (U)give Me a thought?
Was I not silent, even for a long time,
So you do not fear Me?
12 I will (V)declare your righteousness and your (W)deeds,
And they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out, (X)let your collection of idols save you.
But the wind will carry them all up,
And a breath will take them away.
But the one who (Y)takes refuge in Me will (Z)inherit the land
And (AA)possess My holy mountain.”

14 And it will be said,
(AB)Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle from the way of My people.”
15 For this is what the (AC)high and exalted One
Who [m](AD)lives forever, whose name is Holy, says:
“I (AE)dwell in a high and holy place,
And also with the (AF)contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to (AG)revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 For I will (AH)not contend forever,
(AI)Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the (AJ)breath of those whom I have made.
17 Because of the wrongful act of his (AK)unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on (AL)turning away, in the way of his heart.
18 I have seen his ways, but I will (AM)heal him;
I will (AN)lead him and (AO)restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19 Creating the [n](AP)praise of the lips.
(AQ)Peace, peace to him who is (AR)far away and to him who is near,”
Says the Lord, “and I will heal him.”
20 But the (AS)wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21 (AT)There is no peace,” says (AU)my God, “for the wicked.”

Observances of Fasts

58 (AV)Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (AW)wrongdoing,
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet they (AX)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done (AY)righteousness
And (AZ)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight (BA)in the nearness of God.
‘Why have we (BB)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [o]notice?’
Behold, on the (BC)day of your fast you find your desire,
And oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast for contention and (BD)strife, and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you have done today to (BE)make your voice heard on high!
Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [p]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out (BF)sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an (BG)acceptable day to the Lord?
Is this not the fast that I choose:
To (BH)release the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the ropes of the yoke,
And to (BI)let the oppressed go free,
And (BJ)break every yoke?
Is it not to (BK)break your bread [q]with the hungry
And (BL)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (BM)naked, to cover him;
And not to (BN)hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then your (BO)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (BP)recovery will spring up quickly;
And your (BQ)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (BR)Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will (BS)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (BT)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [r](BU)pointing of the finger and (BV)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you (BW)offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the [s]need of the afflicted,
Then your (BX)light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
11 And the (BY)Lord will continually guide you,
And (BZ)satisfy your [t]desire in scorched places,
And (CA)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (CB)watered garden,
And like a (CC)spring of water whose waters do not [u]fail.
12 Those from among you will (CD)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (CE)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (CF)breach,
The restorer of the [v]streets in which to dwell.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 “If, because of the Sabbath, you (CG)restrain your foot
From doing as you wish on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a (CH)pleasure, and the holy day of the Lord honorable,
And honor it, desisting from your (CI)own ways,
From seeking your own pleasure
And (CJ)speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take (CK)delight in the Lord,
And I will make you ride (CL)on the heights of the earth;
And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
For the (CM)mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Separation from God

59 Behold, (CN)the Lords hand is not so short
That it cannot save;
(CO)Nor is His ear so dull
That it cannot hear.
But your (CP)wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [w]face from you so that He does (CQ)not hear.
For your (CR)hands are defiled with blood,
And your fingers with wrongdoing;
Your lips have spoken (CS)deceit,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
(CT)No one sues righteously and (CU)no one pleads [x]honestly.
They (CV)trust in confusion and speak lies;
They (CW)conceive trouble and give birth to disaster.
They hatch vipers’ eggs and (CX)weave the spider’s web;
The one who eats of their eggs dies,
And from what is crushed, a snake breaks out.
Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they (CY)cover themselves with their works;
Their (CZ)works are works of wrongdoing,
And an (DA)act of violence is in their [y]hands.
(DB)Their feet run to evil,
And they hurry to shed innocent blood;
(DC)Their thoughts are thoughts of wrongdoing,
Devastation and destruction are in their paths.
They do not know the (DD)way of peace,
And there is (DE)no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
(DF)Whoever walks on [z]them does not know peace.

A Confession of Wickedness

Therefore (DG)justice is far from us,
And righteousness does not reach us;
We (DH)hope for light, but there is darkness,
For brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We (DI)grope for the wall like people who are blind,
We grope like those who have no eyes.
We (DJ)stumble at midday as in the twilight;
Among those who are healthy we are (DK)like the dead.
11 All of us growl like bears,
And (DL)moan sadly like doves;
We hope for (DM)justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our (DN)wrongful acts have multiplied before You,
And our (DO)sins have testified against us;
For our wrongful acts are with us,
And [aa]we know our wrongdoings:
13 [ab]Offending and (DP)denying the Lord,
And turning away from our God,
Speaking (DQ)oppression and revolt,
Conceiving and (DR)uttering lying words from the heart.
14 (DS)Justice is turned back,
And (DT)righteousness stands far away;
For truth has stumbled in the street,
And uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
And one who turns aside from evil (DU)makes himself a prey.
Now the Lord saw,
And it was [ac]displeasing in His sight (DV)that there was no justice.
16 And He saw that there was (DW)no one,
And was amazed that there was not one to intercede;
Then His (DX)own arm brought salvation to Him,
And His righteousness upheld Him.
17 He put on (DY)righteousness like a breastplate,
And a (DZ)helmet of salvation on His head;
And He put on (EA)garments of vengeance for clothing
And wrapped Himself with (EB)zeal as a cloak.
18 (EC)According to their deeds, [ad]so will He repay:
Wrath to His adversaries, [ae]retribution to His enemies;
To the coastlands He will [af]deal [ag]retribution.
19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the (ED)west
And His glory from the (EE)rising of the sun,
For He will (EF)come like a [ah]rushing stream
Which the wind of the Lord drives.
20 “A (EG)Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those in Jacob who (EH)turn from wrongdoing,” declares the Lord.

21 “As for Me, this is My (EI)covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My (EJ)Spirit who is upon you, and My (EK)words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your [ai]offspring, nor from the mouth of your [aj]offspring’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:2 I.e., graves
  2. Isaiah 57:3 As in ancient versions; MT she prostitutes herself
  3. Isaiah 57:5 Or wadis
  4. Isaiah 57:6 I.e., symbols of fertility gods
  5. Isaiah 57:6 Or wadi
  6. Isaiah 57:6 Lit they, they
  7. Isaiah 57:6 Or repent
  8. Isaiah 57:8 Lit hand
  9. Isaiah 57:9 I.e., the netherworld
  10. Isaiah 57:10 Lit the life of your hand
  11. Isaiah 57:10 Or become sick
  12. Isaiah 57:11 Lit You did not set it upon your heart
  13. Isaiah 57:15 Or dwells in eternity
  14. Isaiah 57:19 Lit fruit of the lips
  15. Isaiah 58:3 Lit know
  16. Isaiah 58:5 Lit his
  17. Isaiah 58:7 Lit for
  18. Isaiah 58:9 I.e., an abusive gesture
  19. Isaiah 58:10 Or soul
  20. Isaiah 58:11 Or soul
  21. Isaiah 58:11 Or deceive
  22. Isaiah 58:12 Lit paths
  23. Isaiah 59:2 As in ancient versions; MT faces
  24. Isaiah 59:4 Lit in truth
  25. Isaiah 59:6 Lit palms
  26. Isaiah 59:8 Lit it
  27. Isaiah 59:12 Lit our wrongdoings we know them
  28. Isaiah 59:13 Or Revolting against and
  29. Isaiah 59:15 Or evil
  30. Isaiah 59:18 Lit accordingly
  31. Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
  32. Isaiah 59:18 Lit repay
  33. Isaiah 59:18 Lit requital
  34. Isaiah 59:19 Lit narrow
  35. Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed
  36. Isaiah 59:21 Lit seed

57 The righteous perish,(A)
    and no one takes it to heart;(B)
the devout are taken away,
    and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
    to be spared from evil.(C)
Those who walk uprightly(D)
    enter into peace;
    they find rest(E) as they lie in death.

“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress,(F)
    you offspring of adulterers(G) and prostitutes!(H)
Who are you mocking?
    At whom do you sneer
    and stick out your tongue?
Are you not a brood of rebels,(I)
    the offspring of liars?
You burn with lust among the oaks(J)
    and under every spreading tree;(K)
you sacrifice your children(L) in the ravines
    and under the overhanging crags.
The idols(M) among the smooth stones of the ravines are your portion;
    indeed, they are your lot.
Yes, to them you have poured out drink offerings(N)
    and offered grain offerings.
    In view of all this, should I relent?(O)
You have made your bed on a high and lofty hill;(P)
    there you went up to offer your sacrifices.(Q)
Behind your doors and your doorposts
    you have put your pagan symbols.
Forsaking me, you uncovered your bed,
    you climbed into it and opened it wide;
you made a pact with those whose beds you love,(R)
    and you looked with lust on their naked bodies.(S)
You went to Molek[a](T) with olive oil
    and increased your perfumes.(U)
You sent your ambassadors[b](V) far away;
    you descended to the very realm of the dead!(W)
10 You wearied(X) yourself by such going about,
    but you would not say, ‘It is hopeless.’(Y)
You found renewal of your strength,(Z)
    and so you did not faint.

11 “Whom have you so dreaded and feared(AA)
    that you have not been true to me,
and have neither remembered(AB) me
    nor taken this to heart?(AC)
Is it not because I have long been silent(AD)
    that you do not fear me?
12 I will expose your righteousness and your works,(AE)
    and they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry out(AF) for help,
    let your collection of idols save(AG) you!
The wind will carry all of them off,
    a mere breath will blow(AH) them away.
But whoever takes refuge(AI) in me
    will inherit the land(AJ)
    and possess my holy mountain.”(AK)

Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(AL)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(AM)
15 For this is what the high and exalted(AN) One says—
    he who lives forever,(AO) whose name is holy:
“I live in a high(AP) and holy place,
    but also with the one who is contrite(AQ) and lowly in spirit,(AR)
to revive the spirit of the lowly
    and to revive the heart of the contrite.(AS)
16 I will not accuse(AT) them forever,
    nor will I always be angry,(AU)
for then they would faint away because of me—
    the very people(AV) I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;(AW)
    I punished them, and hid(AX) my face in anger,
    yet they kept on in their willful ways.(AY)
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal(AZ) them;
    I will guide(BA) them and restore comfort(BB) to Israel’s mourners,
19     creating praise on their lips.(BC)
Peace, peace,(BD) to those far and near,”(BE)
    says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked(BF) are like the tossing sea,(BG)
    which cannot rest,
    whose waves cast up mire(BH) and mud.
21 “There is no peace,”(BI) says my God, “for the wicked.”(BJ)

True Fasting

58 “Shout it aloud,(BK) do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.(BL)
Declare to my people their rebellion(BM)
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.(BN)
For day after day they seek(BO) me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken(BP) the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near(BQ) them.
‘Why have we fasted,’(BR) they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled(BS) ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’(BT)

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please(BU)
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,(BV)
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard(BW) on high.
Is this the kind of fast(BX) I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble(BY) themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed(BZ)
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?(CA)
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?

“Is not this the kind of fasting(CB) I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice(CC)
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed(CD) free
    and break every yoke?(CE)
Is it not to share your food with the hungry(CF)
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter(CG)
when you see the naked, to clothe(CH) them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?(CI)
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,(CJ)
    and your healing(CK) will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[c](CL) will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.(CM)
Then you will call,(CN) and the Lord will answer;(CO)
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger(CP) and malicious talk,(CQ)
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,(CR)
then your light(CS) will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.(CT)
11 The Lord will guide(CU) you always;
    he will satisfy your needs(CV) in a sun-scorched land(CW)
    and will strengthen(CX) your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,(CY)
    like a spring(CZ) whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins(DA)
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;(DB)
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,(DC)
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath(DD)
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight(DE)
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,(DF)
14 then you will find your joy(DG) in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights(DH) of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance(DI) of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.(DJ)

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm(DK) of the Lord is not too short(DL) to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.(DM)
But your iniquities have separated(DN)
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
    so that he will not hear.(DO)
For your hands are stained with blood,(DP)
    your fingers with guilt.(DQ)
Your lips have spoken falsely,(DR)
    and your tongue mutters wicked things.
No one calls for justice;(DS)
    no one pleads a case with integrity.
They rely(DT) on empty arguments, they utter lies;(DU)
    they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.(DV)
They hatch the eggs of vipers(DW)
    and spin a spider’s web.(DX)
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
    and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
Their cobwebs are useless for clothing;
    they cannot cover themselves with what they make.(DY)
Their deeds are evil deeds,
    and acts of violence(DZ) are in their hands.
Their feet rush into sin;
    they are swift to shed innocent blood.(EA)
They pursue evil schemes;(EB)
    acts of violence mark their ways.(EC)
The way of peace they do not know;(ED)
    there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;(EE)
    no one who walks along them will know peace.(EF)

So justice is far from us,
    and righteousness does not reach us.
We look for light, but all is darkness;(EG)
    for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind(EH) we grope along the wall,
    feeling our way like people without eyes.
At midday we stumble(EI) as if it were twilight;
    among the strong, we are like the dead.(EJ)
11 We all growl like bears;
    we moan mournfully like doves.(EK)
We look for justice, but find none;
    for deliverance, but it is far away.

12 For our offenses(EL) are many in your sight,
    and our sins testify(EM) against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
    and we acknowledge our iniquities:(EN)
13 rebellion(EO) and treachery against the Lord,
    turning our backs(EP) on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,(EQ)
    uttering lies(ER) our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice(ES) is driven back,
    and righteousness(ET) stands at a distance;
truth(EU) has stumbled in the streets,
    honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth(EV) is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.(EW)
16 He saw that there was no one,(EX)
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;(EY)
so his own arm achieved salvation(EZ) for him,
    and his own righteousness(FA) sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,(FB)
    and the helmet(FC) of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments(FD) of vengeance(FE)
    and wrapped himself in zeal(FF) as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done,
    so will he repay(FG)
wrath to his enemies
    and retribution to his foes;
    he will repay the islands(FH) their due.
19 From the west,(FI) people will fear the name of the Lord,
    and from the rising of the sun,(FJ) they will revere his glory.(FK)
For he will come like a pent-up flood
    that the breath(FL) of the Lord drives along.[d]

20 “The Redeemer(FM) will come to Zion,(FN)
    to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”(FO)
declares the Lord.

21 “As for me, this is my covenant(FP) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,(FQ) who is on you, will not depart from you,(FR) and my words that I have put in your mouth(FS) will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:9 Or to the king
  2. Isaiah 57:9 Or idols
  3. Isaiah 58:8 Or your righteous One
  4. Isaiah 59:19 Or When enemies come in like a flood, / the Spirit of the Lord will put them to flight

Purpose of This Letter

(A)Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am (B)stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, to (C)remember the words spoken beforehand by (D)the holy prophets and (E)the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Coming Day of the Lord

(F)Know this first of all, that (G)in the last days (H)mockers will come with their mocking, (I)following after their own lusts, and saying, “(J)Where is the promise of His (K)coming? For ever since the fathers [a](L)fell asleep, all things continue just as they were (M)from the beginning of creation.” For [b]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that (N)by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was (O)formed out of water and by water, through which (P)the world at that time was (Q)destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word (R)the present heavens and earth are being reserved for (S)fire, kept for (T)the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, (U)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and (V)a thousand years like one day. (W)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but (X)is patient toward you, (Y)not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

A New Heaven and Earth

10 But (Z)the day of the Lord (AA)will come like a thief, in which (AB)the heavens (AC)will pass away with a roar and the (AD)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and (AE)the earth and [c]its works will be [d]discovered.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 (AF)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which (AG)the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the (AH)elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His (AI)promise we are looking for (AJ)new heavens and a new earth, (AK)in which righteousness dwells.

14 (AL)Therefore, (AM)beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be (AN)found (AO)spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15 and regard the (AP)patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also (AQ)our beloved brother Paul, (AR)according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of (AS)these things, (AT)in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and (AU)unstable distort, as they do also (AV)the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, (AW)beloved, knowing this beforehand, (AX)be on your guard so that you are not carried away by (AY)the error of [e](AZ)unscrupulous people and (BA)lose your own [f]firm commitment, 18 but grow in the grace and (BB)knowledge of our (BC)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (BD)To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 3:4 I.e., died
  2. 2 Peter 3:5 Or they are willfully ignorant of this fact, that
  3. 2 Peter 3:10 Lit the works in it
  4. 2 Peter 3:10 I.e., as worthless; late mss burned up
  5. 2 Peter 3:17 Or disgraceful
  6. 2 Peter 3:17 Or firm hold

The Day of the Lord

Dear friends,(A) this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders(B) to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets(C) and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.(D)

Above all, you must understand that in the last days(E) scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.(F) They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?(G) Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”(H) But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word(I) the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.(J) By these waters also the world of that time(K) was deluged and destroyed.(L) By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,(M) being kept for the day of judgment(N) and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.(O) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,(P) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient(Q) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.(R)

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.(S) The heavens will disappear with a roar;(T) the elements will be destroyed by fire,(U) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.[a](V)

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward(W) to the day of God and speed its coming.[b](X) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.(Y) 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,(Z) where righteousness dwells.

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless(AA) and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience(AB) means salvation,(AC) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.(AD) 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable(AE) people distort,(AF) as they do the other Scriptures,(AG) to their own destruction.

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard(AH) so that you may not be carried away by the error(AI) of the lawless(AJ) and fall from your secure position.(AK) 18 But grow in the grace(AL) and knowledge(AM) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.(AN) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.(AO)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 3:10 Some manuscripts be burned up
  2. 2 Peter 3:12 Or as you wait eagerly for the day of God to come