2 Peter 1
The Voice
1 Simon Peter, a servant and emissary[a] of Jesus the Anointed One, to those who have received the same precious faith we share through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Anointed. 2 I wish you a full measure of grace and peace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has given us everything we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. 4 Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature.
God took the first step to rescue us from this corrupt world. He has granted us His power, revealed to us true knowledge, and spoken to us great promises. He has done all this for a reason: that we might participate in His own nature and reflect His own life. But we are not passive observers of God’s saving actions. We must receive His grace, grow in knowledge, and join Him in this work of redemption.
5 To achieve this, you will need to add virtue to your faith, and then knowledge to your virtue; 6 to knowledge, add discipline; to discipline, add endurance; to endurance, add godliness; 7 to godliness, add affection for others as sisters and brothers; and to affection, at last, add love. 8 For if you possess these traits and multiply them, then you will never be ineffective or unproductive in your relationship with our Lord Jesus the Anointed; 9 but if you don’t have these qualities, then you will be nearsighted and blind, forgetting that your past sins have been washed away. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, work that much harder to confirm that God has called you and claimed you. If you do this, then you will never fall along the way; 11 and you can be sure that you will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King.
12 That is why I will keep reminding you of these things, even though I know that you believe them and have made these truths a part of your lives; 13 as long as I draw breath, I know it is right for me to keep on stirring you up with these reminders. 14 I know that soon I must die and lay down this old body that’s been my home—our Lord Jesus the Anointed has told me so. 15 But before my exodus from this life, I want to be certain you will be able to call these things to mind anytime you need them even after I am gone.
Faith does not rest upon cleverly devised fables invented by creative minds; it rests upon the testimonies of eyewitnesses who faithfully pass down what they see and hear to others.
16 For I want to remind you that when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, we were relying on what our eyes had seen of His glorious majesty, not on cleverly told fables. 17 You see, God the Father lavished honor and glory upon Jesus when the voice of the Majestic Glory echoed from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son, and My favor rests on Him.”[b] 18 We witnessed this—we ourselves heard this voice from heaven—when we were with Jesus on that holy mountain. 19 We have a fuller confirmation of the message of the prophets. You would do well to pay close attention to this word; it is like a light that shines for you in the darkness of night until the day dawns when the morning star rises in your own hearts.
Peter and two other disciples see Jesus transfigured. This event and the heavenly voice confirm Jesus’ true identity and are a prelude to the greatest miracle of all—the resurrection.
20 But notice first that no prophecy found in Scripture is a matter of the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 Prophecy has never been a product of human initiative, but it comes when men and women are moved to speak on behalf of God by the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- 1:1 Literally, apostle
- 1:17 Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35
Kefa II 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 Shimon Kefa, an eved and Shliach of Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua: to the ones having obtained, with us [Shlichim of Moshiach], equally precious [orthodox Jewish] emunah (faith) [the Emunah of the true Dat HaYehudit] in the Tzedek Hashem [Dan 9:24] of Eloheinu and Moshieinu Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.
2 Chesed Hashem and Shalom Hashem to you abundantly in the da’as (personal, saving knowledge) of Hashem and Adoneinu Yehoshua.
3 As the gevurat Hashem (the power of G-d) has given us everything for Chayyim (life) and chasidus through the da’as (personal, saving knowledge) of the One Who bestows on us the kri’ah (calling) to His own Kavod (Glory) and Tzidkanut (Righteousness see 1:5-7; 2:5,21; 3:13)
4 So Hashem has given us precious havtachot gedolot (great promises 3:4,9,13 cf.2:19) that through these promises you might become [regenerate] deveykus participants with the life of the teva haelohi (divine nature, cf Yn 1:13], having escaped the [degenerate] Olam Hazeh’s lust engendered corruption.
5 For this very reason, you must apply all zerizut (diligence) to supply emunah with midah hatov (the attribute of virtue), and midah hatov with da’as (knowledge),
6 And da’as with shlitah atzmit (self-control), and shlitah atzmit with chozek (fortitude) and chozek with chasidus (piety),
7 And chassidus with ahavah shel achvah (brotherly love), and ahavah shel achvah with ahavah (agape).
8 For if these midos are in you increasingly, they will forestall you from being batlanim (idlers) and lo poreh (unfruitful) in the da’as (personal saving knowledge) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua.
9 For the one with whom these middos chasidus (qualities of piety) are not present is an ivver (blind man), being shortsighted, having forgotten the tohorah (cleansing) of his past averos.
10 Therefore, Achim b’Moshiach, be eagerly diligent to make your kri’ah (summons) and bechirah (election) sure, for, if you do these things, you will never fall over a michshol (stumbling block).
11 For thus will be richly provided for you the entrance into the Malchut Olam of Adoneinu and Moshieinu Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.
12 Therefore, it is my tachlis (purpose, final end) always to remind you concerning these things, even though you have da’as of them and have been stabilized in HaEmes that you have.
13 But I consider it befitting, as long as I am in this ohel, to arouse you with a tizkoret (reminder),
14 Als (since) I know that the putting off of my mishkan is imminent, as indeed Adoneinu Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua made clear to me.
15 And also I am eager to cause you to always possess the zichron (memory) of these things after my exodus. [T.N. Written shortly before his death al kiddush ha-Shem for his Moshiach. See Bodmer papyrus p72 showing early attestation of this authentic last will and testament of Kefa whom Nero caused to be killed.]
16 For we had not followed cleverly crafted aggadot or doichek (farfetched) bubbemeises or reid (hearsay) when we made known to you the gevurah (miraculous power) of Adoneinu Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua and the Bi’as HaMoshiach of him; no, we had been edei re’iyah (eyewitnesses) of Moshiach’s majestic gedulah (greatness).
17 For having received from Elohim HaAv kavod va’oz, the bat kol was conveyed to Moshiach by the Majestic Glory, "ZEH BENI AHUVI ASHER BO CHAFATSTI" ("This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased” TEHILLIM 2:7; BERESHIS 22:2; YESHAYAH 42:1).
18 And this bat kol we heard out of Shomayim, having been brought with Moshiach upon the Har HaKodesh.
19 And we have the Dvar HaNevu’ah (Word of Prophecy) made more sure, to which you do well in giving heed as to a menorah shining in a place of choshech until HaYom [of Olam Habah 3:18] dawns and the Kochav (Star BAMIDBAR 24:17) haNogah (of Brightness, Venus) rises in your levavot (hearts).
20 Knowing this first: that every nevu’ah (prophecy) of the Kitvei Hakodesh is not of one’s own interpretation.
21 For no nevu’ah was at any time brought by the ratzon HaBnei Adam (will of Man), but men being carried along by the Ruach Hakodesh spoke from Hashem.
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