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 ^(A)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 ^[a]does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to ^[b]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 ^(B)Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and ^(C)delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, ^(D)tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then ^(E)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 ^(F)those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. ^(G)They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of ^[c]dignitaries, ¹¹ whereas ^(H)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, ^(I)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 (J)and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure ^(K)to ^[d]carouse in the daytime. ^(L)They are spots and blemishes, ^[e]carousing in their own deceptions while ^(M)they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[f]adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. ^(N)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 ^(O)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 (P)These are wells without water, ^[g]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[h]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 ^[i]have actually escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of ^[j]corruption; ^(Q)for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into ^[k]bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they ^(R)have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are ^(S)again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For ^(T)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: ^(U)“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”