我是耶稣基督的奴仆和使徒西门·彼得,写信给借着我们的上帝和救主耶稣基督的义,与我们得到同样宝贵信心的人。

愿你们因认识上帝和我们主耶稣而得到丰富的恩典和平安!

追求长进

因为我们认识了用自己的荣耀和美德呼召我们的上帝,上帝以祂神圣的能力将生命与敬虔所需要的一切赐给了我们。 借此,祂已将既宝贵又伟大的应许赏给了我们,使我们脱离世上私欲带来的败坏,能够有份于上帝的性情。

正因如此,你们要加倍努力,不仅要有信心,还要有好的德行;不仅要有好的德行,还要有知识; 不仅要有知识,还要有节制;不仅要有节制,还要有忍耐;不仅要有忍耐,还要有敬虔; 不仅要有敬虔,还要有爱弟兄姊妹的心;不仅要有爱弟兄姊妹的心,还要有爱众人的心。 如果充分具备了这些品德,你们对我们主耶稣基督的认识就不会停滞不前,毫无收获。 缺乏上述品德的人不是瞎眼就是目光短浅,忘记他从前的罪已经得到洁净。

10 所以,弟兄姊妹,你们要更加努力,以确定自己蒙了呼召和拣选。这样,你们就绝不会失足犯罪, 11 进入我们的主和救主耶稣基督永恒国度的大门必为你们敞开。

12 虽然你们已经知道这些事,并且在所领受的真道上也很坚固,但我还是要常常提醒你们。 13 我觉得应当趁着我还在世的时候[a]提醒你们,激励你们, 14 因我知道自己离世的日子已经不远了,正如我们的主耶稣基督指示我的。 15 我要尽力使你们在我离世以后仍然常常记得这些事。

见证基督的荣耀

16 我们从前告诉你们有关主耶稣基督的大能和祂降临的事,并非根据巧妙虚构的神话,而是我们亲眼见过祂的威荣。 17 祂从父上帝那里得到了尊贵和荣耀,那时从极大的荣光中有声音对祂说:“这是我的爱子,我甚喜悦祂。” 18 当时我们和祂一同在圣山上,亲耳听见了这来自天上的声音。

19 这使我们更加确信先知的预言。你们要留意这些预言,把这些预言看作照耀在黑暗中的明灯,一直到天破晓、晨星在你们心中升起。 20 你们首先该知道:圣经上的一切预言都不可随人的私意解释, 21 因为预言绝非出于人的意思,都是人受了圣灵的感动,讲出上帝的信息。

Footnotes

  1. 1:13 还在世的时候”希腊文是“还在这帐篷里的时候”,作者用帐篷代表自己的身体。

1-2 I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

Don’t Put It Off

3-4 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

10-11 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The One Light in a Dark Time

12-15 Because the stakes are so high, even though you’re up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I’ve been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I’m sticking to it as long as I live. I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you’ll have it for ready reference.

16-18 We weren’t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.

19-21 We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.

Simon Peter, bondman and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have received like precious faith with us through [the] righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in [the] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As his divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us by glory and virtue,

through which he has given to us the greatest and precious promises, that through these ye may become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But for this very reason also, using therewith all diligence, in your faith have also virtue, in virtue knowledge,

in knowledge temperance, in temperance endurance, in endurance godliness,

in godliness brotherly love, in brotherly love love:

for these things existing and abounding in you make [you] to be neither idle nor unfruitful as regards the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ;

for he with whom these things are not present is blind, short-sighted, and has forgotten the purging of his former sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, use diligence to make your calling and election sure, for doing these things ye will never fall;

11 for thus shall the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be richly furnished unto you.

12 Wherefore I will be careful to put you always in mind of these things, although knowing [them] and established in the present truth.

13 But I account it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting [you] in remembrance,

14 knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is speedily [to take place], as also our Lord Jesus Christ has manifested to me;

15 but I will use diligence, that after my departure ye should have also, at any time, [in your power] to call to mind these things.

16 For we have not made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly imagined fables, but having been eyewitnesses of *his* majesty.

17 For he received from God [the] Father honour and glory, such a voice being uttered to him by the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom *I* have found my delight;

18 and this voice *we* heard uttered from heaven, being with him on the holy mountain.

19 And we have the prophetic word [made] surer, to which ye do well taking heed (as to a lamp shining in an obscure place) until [the] day dawn and [the] morning star arise in your hearts;

20 knowing this first, that [the scope of] no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation,

21 for prophecy was not ever uttered by [the] will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of [the] Holy Spirit.

Simon Peter, a servant(A) and apostle of Jesus Christ,(B)

To those who through the righteousness(C) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ(D) have received a faith as precious as ours:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance(E) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.(F)

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

His divine power(G) has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him(H) who called us(I) by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,(J) so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,(K) having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.(L)

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;(M) and to knowledge, self-control;(N) and to self-control, perseverance;(O) and to perseverance, godliness;(P) and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.(Q) For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive(R) in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.(S) But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,(T) forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.(U)

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling(V) and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,(W) 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom(X) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.(Y)

Prophecy of Scripture

12 So I will always remind you of these things,(Z) even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth(AA) you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory(AB) as long as I live in the tent of this body,(AC) 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside,(AD) as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.(AE) 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure(AF) you will always be able to remember these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,(AG) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.(AH) 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b](AI) 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.(AJ)

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable,(AK) and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light(AL) shining in a dark place, until the day dawns(AM) and the morning star(AN) rises in your hearts.(AO) 20 Above all, you must understand(AP) that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God(AQ) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
  2. 2 Peter 1:17 Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.