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.

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched^(A)

1 That ^(B)which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have ^(C)seen with our eyes, ^(D)which we have looked upon, and ^(E)our hands have handled, concerning the ^(F)Word of life— ^2 (G)the life ^(H)was manifested, and we have seen, ^(I)and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was ^(J)with the Father and was manifested to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is ^(K)with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And these things we write to you ^(L)that ^[a]your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

^5 (M)This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that ^(N)God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ^6 (O)If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we ^(P)walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(Q)the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we ^(R)confess our sins, He is ^(S)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to ^(T)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we ^(U)make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

The Test of Knowing Christ

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^(V)we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And ^(W)He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^(X)also for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a ^(Y)liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But ^(Z)whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God ^[b]is perfected ^(AA)in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ^6 (AB)He who says he abides in Him ^(AC)ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

^7 [c]Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^(AD)from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard ^[d]from the beginning. ⁸ Again, ^(AE)a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, ^(AF)because the darkness is passing away, and ^(AG)the true light is already shining.

^9 (AH)He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ^10 (AI)He who loves his brother abides in the light, and ^(AJ)there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But he who ^(AK)hates his brother is in darkness and ^(AL)walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Their Spiritual State

Do Not Love the World

^15 (AQ)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(AR)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^(AS)the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And ^(AT)the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

^18 (AU)Little children, ^(AV)it is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^(AW)the^[e] Antichrist is coming, ^(AX)even now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^(AY)that it is the last hour. ^19 (AZ)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(BA)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^(BB)that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

²⁰ But ^(BC)you have an anointing ^(BD)from the Holy One, and ^(BE)you^[f] know all things. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

^22 (BF)Who is a liar but he who denies that ^(BG)Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 (BH)Whoever denies the Son does not have the ^(BI)Father either; ^(BJ)he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

²⁴ Therefore let that abide in you ^(BK)which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, ^(BL)you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ^25 (BM)And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try to ^[g]deceive you. ²⁷ But the ^(BN)anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and ^(BO)you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing ^(BP)teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ^[h]will abide in Him.

The Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in Him, that ^[i]when He appears, we may have ^(BQ)confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ^29 (BR)If you know that He is righteous, you know that ^(BS)everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

The Command to Love

3 Behold ^(BT)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^(BU)we should be called children of ^[j]God! Therefore the world does not know ^[k]us, ^(BV)because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, ^(BW)now we are children of God; and ^(BX)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^(BY)we shall be like Him, for ^(BZ)we shall see Him as He is. ^3 (CA)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and ^(CB)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know ^(CC)that He was manifested ^(CD)to take away our sins, and ^(CE)in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ^8 (CF)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, ^(CG)that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been ^(CH)born of God does not sin, for ^(CI)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love^(CJ)

¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. ¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, ^(CK)that we should love one another, ¹² not as ^(CL)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel, my brethren, if ^(CM)the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love ^[l]his brother abides in death. ^15 (CN)Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that ^(CO)no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

The Outworking of Love

^16 (CP)By this we know love, ^(CQ)because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. ¹⁷ But ^(CR)whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

¹⁸ My little children, ^(CS)let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. ¹⁹ And by this we ^[m]know ^(CT)that we are of the truth, and shall ^[n]assure our hearts before Him. ^20 (CU)For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, ^(CV)we have confidence toward God. ²² And ^(CW)whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments ^(CX)and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ ^(CY)and love one another, as He gave ^[o]us commandment.

The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error

²⁴ Now ^(CZ)he who keeps His commandments ^(DA)abides in Him, and He in him. And ^(DB)by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.