The Lord’s Mercy to Israel

¹⁹ For people will live on Zion in Jerusalem. You will never weep again; he will show favor to you at the sound of your outcry; as soon as he hears, he will answer you. ²⁰ The Lord will give you meager bread and water during oppression,^(B) but your Teacher^[a] will not hide any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher, ²¹ and whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”^{(C) 22} Then you will defile your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away like menstrual cloths, and call them filth.

²³ Then he will send rain for your seed that you have sown in the ground, and the food, the produce of the ground, will be rich and plentiful. On that day your cattle will graze in open pastures.^{(D) 24} The oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat salted fodder scattered with winnowing shovel^(E) and fork. ²⁵ Streams flowing with water will be on every high mountain and every raised hill on the day of great slaughter when the towers fall. ²⁶ The moonlight will be as bright as the sunlight, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter^(F)—like the light of seven days—on the day^(G) that the Lord bandages his people’s injuries and heals the wounds he inflicted.^(H)

¹⁴ And we exhort you, brothers and sisters:^(A) warn those who are idle,^[a] comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient^(B) with everyone. ¹⁵ See to it that no one repays evil for evil^(C) to anyone,^(D) but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.^(E)

Waiting for the Lord

⁷ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.^(A)

The Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends, this is now the second letter^(A) I have written to you; in both letters, I want to stir up your sincere^(B) understanding by way of reminder, ² so that you recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. ³ Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days^(C) scoffing and following their own evil desires, ⁴ saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised?^(D) Ever since our ancestors fell asleep,^(E) all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God^(F) the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water.^{(G) 6} Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded.^{(H) 7} By the same word,^(I) the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment^(J) and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.^{(K) 9} The Lord does not delay his promise,^(L) as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any^(M) to perish^(N) but all to come to repentance.^(O)

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord^(P) will come like a thief;^[a](Q) on that day the heavens will pass away^(R) with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved,^(S) and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.^{[b][c] 11} Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness ¹² as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming.^[d](T) Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. ¹³ But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth,^(U) where righteousness dwells.^(V)